Method and apparatus for producing hyperpure silicon rods

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CRYSTAL RODS FROM A HYPERPURE SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTANCE HAVING A LOW CONDUCTANCE AT LOW TEMPERATURES AND DECREASING RESISTANCE AT INCREASING TEMPERATURES, AND A RISING-THEN-DESCENDING CURRENT VERSUS VOLTAGE CHARACTERISTIC AS THE TEMPERATURE RISES, WHEREIN CARRIER BODIES OF THE SUBSTANCE ARE HEATED TO A HIGH TEMPERATURE BY ELECTRIC CURRENT SUPPLIED THROUGH THE ELECTRODES BY A CONTROL SOURCE OF OPERATING CURRENT, WHEREIN THE CARRIERS ARE THEN CONVERTED TO THICK RODS BY THE SUBSTANCE WHICH CRYSTALLIZED UPON THE CARRIERS AND ARE PRECIPITATED FROM A PURIFIED GASEOUS COMPOUND, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: CONNECTING AT LEAST TWO INDIVIDUAL SEPARATE CARRIERS IN SERIES WITH RESPECT TO A SOURCE OF OPERATING CURRENT, DISPOSING THE CARRIERS IN THE SAME REACTION VESSEL, CONNECTING AT LEAST ONE OF THE CARRIERS TO THE VOLTAGE OF THE OPERATING SOURCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS, SHORT-CIRCUITING AT LEAST ANOTHER ELECTRODE UNTIL THE CURRENT-VOLTAGE CONDITIONS OF THE NON-SHORT-CIRCUITED CARRIERS CORRESPOND TO A PREDETERMINED WORKING POINT IN THE DESCENDING RANGE OF THE INDIVIDUAL CURRENT VERSUS VOLTAGE CHARACTERISTIC OF EACH OF THESE CARRIERS, WHEREBY THE NON-SHORT-CIRCUITED CARRIER EXHIBITS A HIGH CONDUCTANCE, SWITCHING THE OTHER CARRIERS INTO THE CIRCUIT OF THE OPERATING SOURCE CURRENT, ADJUSTING THE CURRENT VERSUS VOLTAGE CONDITION OF THESE CARRIERS TO A WORKING POINT IN THE DESENDING BRANCH OF THE INDIVIDUAL CURRENT VERSUS VOLTAGE CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE CARRIERS, WHEREBY ULTIMATELY THE CURRENT VERSUS VOLTAGE CONDITION OF THE TOTALITY OF ALL CARRIERS CORRESPONDS TO A PREDETERMINED WORKING POINT STABILIZED BY SAID CONTROLLABLE CIRCUIT SOURCE, WHICH WORKING POINT IS LOCATED IN THE DESENDING RANGE OF THE RESULTANT CURRENT VERSUS VOLTAGE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE SERIALLY CONNECTED CARRIERS AND WHICH RANGE DESCENDS THROUGHOUT.