Semiconductor crystal growth from a domical projection

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF GROWING A MONOCRYSTALLINE BODY OF CONTROLLED CROSSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSIONS, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A MELT IN AN ENVIRONMENT FOR GROWING SINGLE CRYSTALS FROM THE MELT, PLACING SAID MELT IN CONTACT WITH A MEMBER HAVING AN APERTURE, SAID MEMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY INERT TO ITS ENVIRONMENT, FORMING A DOMICAL PROJECTION OF SAID MELT EXTENDING UP FROM SAID APERTURE BEYOND THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID MEMBER, SAID DOMICAL PROJECTION FILLING THE APERTURE AND HAVING A MAXIMUM CROSS-SECTIONAL LINEAR DIMENSION NO GREATER THAN THE APERTURE, CONTACTING SAID DOMICAL PROJECTION WITH A SEED CRYSTAL TO ESTABLISH A SUBSTANTIALLY FRUSTO-CONICAL MELT ZONE UPSTANDING ABOVE THE SURFACE OF SAID APERTURED MEMBER WITH SAID MELT ZONE HAVING A SOLID-LIQUID INTERFACE, PULLING A SINGLE CRYSTAL FROM SAID MELT ZONE BY PROGRESSIVE UNICRYSTALLINE SOLIDIFICATION OF SAID MELT ON SAID SEED CRYSTAL AT SAID INTERFACE, MAINTAINING SAID FRUSTO-CONCIAL MELT ZONE OF PREDETERMINED SIZE AND SHAPE DURING SAID CRYSTAL GROWTH, MAINTAINING SAID INTERFACE A PREDETERMINED HEIGHT ABOVE THE APERTURE DURING CRYSTAL GROWTH, AND MAINTAINING THE CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION OF THE FRUSTO-CONICAL ZONE NO GREATER THAN THE APERTURE AND FILLING THE APERTURE DURING SAID CRYSTAL GROWTH BY ADJUSTING ANY ONE OR MORE CRYSTAL GROWTH CONDITIONS SUCH AS THE RATE OF PULL, INCLINATION OF PULL AXIS, LOCATION OF PULL AXIS IN SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL MELT ZONE, LOCATION OF SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL MELT ZONE IN THE MELT HEAT FIELD, AND MELT TEMPERATURE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF GROWING A MONOCRYSTALLINE BODY OF CONTROLLED CROSSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSIONS, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A MELT IN AN ENVIRONMENT FOR GROWING SINGLE CRYSTALS FROM THE MELT, PLACING SAID MELT IN CONTACT WITH A MEMBER HAVING AN APERTURE, SAID MEMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY INERT TO ITS ENVIRONMENT, FORMING A DOMICAL PROJECTION OF SAID MELT EXTENDING UP FROM SAID APERTURE BEYOND THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID MEMBER, SAID DOMICAL PROJECTION FILLING THE APERTURE AND HAVING A MAXIMUM CROSS-SECTIONAL LINEAR DIMENSION NO GREATER THAN THE APERTURE, CONTACTING SAID DOMICAL PROJECTION WITH A SEED CRYSTAL TO ESTABLISH A SUBSTANTIALLY FRUSTO-CONICAL MELT ZONE UPSTANDING ABOVE THE SURFACE OF SAID APERTURED MEMBER WITH SAID MELT ZONE HAVING A SOLID-LIQUID INTERFACE, PULLING A SINGLE CRYSTAL FROM SAID MELT ZONE BY PROGRESSIVE UNICRYSTALLINE SOLIDIFICATION OF SAID MELT ON SAID SEED CRYSTAL AT SAID INTERFACE, MAINTAINING SAID FRUSTO-CONCIAL MELT ZONE OF PREDETERMINED SIZE AND SHAPE DURING SAID CRYSTAL GROWTH, MAINTAINING SAID INTERFACE A PREDETERMINED HEIGHT ABOVE THE APERTURE DURING CRYSTAL GROWTH, AND MAINTAINING THE CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION OF THE FRUSTO-CONICAL ZONE NO GREATER THAN THE APERTURE AND FILLING THE APERTURE DURING SAID CRYSTAL GROWTH BY ADJUSTING ANY ONE OR MORE CRYSTAL GROWTH CONDITIONS SUCH AS THE RATE OF PULL, INCLINATION OF PULL AXIS, LOCATION OF PULL AXIS IN SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL MELT ZONE, LOCATION OF SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL MELT ZONE IN THE MELT HEAT FIELD, AND MELT TEMPERATURE.