Production of semi-conductor materials

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PRODUCING A SINGLE CRYSTAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY PURE SILICON WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING HEATING MEANS TO ESTABLISH A MOLTEN REGION AT ONE END OF SINGLE CRYSTAL SEED OF SILICA, FLOWINGS SUBSTANTIALLY PURE SILANE UNDER A PARTIAL PRESSURE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN ONE ATMOSPHERE INTO CONTACT WITH SAID MOLTEN REGION, THEREBY DECOMPOSING SAID SILANE AND DEPOSITING SILICON ONTO THE SURFACE OF SAID MOLTEN REGION, MECHANICALLY DIVIDING THE AREA AROUND SAID SEED CRYSTAL INTO TWO ZONES WITH A FIRST EXCLUSIVE ZONE AROUND ONLY THE MOLTEN REGION OF A SAID SEED CRYTAL, AND A SECOND EXCLUSIVE ZONE AROUND ONLY THE SOLID PORTION OF SAID SEED CRYSTAL, SO AS TO IMPEDE THE ENTRY OF SAID SILANE GAS INTO SAID SECOND EXCLUSIVE ZONE, AND FURTHER WITHDRAWING SAID SEED FROM SAID HEATING MEANS AT A RATE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE RATE OF DESPOSITION OF SILICON FROM SAID SILANE, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY MAIN-