Method of and apparatus for producing highly pure rodlike semiconductor bodies

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING HIGHLY PURE RODLIKE SEMICONDUCTOR BODIES BY CAUSING A HIGHLY PURIFIED COMPOUND OF THE DESIRED SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTANCE TO FLOW ALONG AND LONGITUDINALLY OF A WIRELIKE CARRIER MADE OF CORRESPONDING HIGH PURE SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL, SAID CARRIER BEING HEATED BY DIRECT GALVANIC PASSAGE OF CURRENT THERETHROUGH, WHEREBY SAID COMPOUND IS DECOMPOSED TO EFFECT SEPARATION OF THE DESIRED SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTANCE THEREFROM AND DEPOSITION THEREOF UPON SAID CARRIER ON WHICH SAID DEPOSITED SUBSTANCE CRYSTALLIZES SO AS TO INCREASE THE THICKNESS OF SAID CARRIER TO FORM A RODLIKE BODY, APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULATING AND CONTROLLING THE HEATING CURRENT FLOWING THROUGH SAID THICKENING CARRIER TO MAINTAIN THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID HEATING CURRENT TO CORRESPOND AT ANY INSTANT TO THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF SAID THICKENING CARRIER, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ALTERNATING CURRENT SOURCE, A CHOKE COIL CONNECTED TO SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT SOURCE IN SERIES WITH SAID CARRIER, A DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY ASCERTAINING THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF SAID THICKENING CARRIER, AND MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID DEVICE FOR VARYING THE INDUCTIVE IMPEDANCE OF SAID CHOKE COIL IN ACCORDANCE WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS OF SAID THICKENING CARRIER ASCERTAINED BY SAID DEVICE TO VARY THE MAGNITUDE OF THE HEATING CURRENT FLOWING THROUGH SAID THICKENING CARRIER.