Growing crystals from a melt by controlling additions of material thereto

Claim 1

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot using controlled additions of a first material to a second material, comprising: heating a plurality of solid particles of the second material under selected ambient conditions in a crucible to partially form them into a liquid, the sizes of the particles being selected so that no more than 60% of the plurality are less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension to allow space for shifting and settling of the particles within the crucible due to thermal expansion and gravity so that the crucible is not stressed to a condition of rupture as the particles are heated and partially formed into a liquid; varying the ambient conditions so that the liquefying process stops when the lower portion of the second material is liquefied but before all of the upper portion of the same material becomes liquefied; adding at least one solid particle of the first material onto the upper portion of the second material to substantially prevent such solid particle of the first material from contacting the liquid of the second material to prevent such liquid from being scattered; varying the ambient conditions to liquefy the added first material and the upper portion of the second material to increase the liquid volume; and contacting a single crystalline seed ingot to the liquid and withdrawing the seed to grow a single crystalline ingot.

Claim 2

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot using controlled additions of a first material to a second material, comprising: heating a plurality of solid particles of the second material under selected ambient conditions in a crucible to partially form them into a liquid, the sizes of the particles being selected so that no more than 60% of the plurality are less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension to allow space for shifting and settling of the particles within the crucible due to thermal expansion and gravity so that the crucible is not stressed to a condition of rupture as the particles are heated and partially formed into a liquid; varying the ambient conditions so that the liquefying process stops when the lower portion of the second material is liquefied but before all of the upper portion of the same material becomes liquefied; adding at least one solid particle of the first material onto the upper portion of the second material to substantially prevent such solid particle of the first material from contacting the liquid of the second material to prevent such liquid from being scattered; varying the ambient conditions to liquefy the added first material and the upper portion of the second material to increase the liquid volume; and contacting a single crystalline seed ingot to the liquid and withdrawing the seed to grow a single crystalline ingot.

Claim 6

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot using controlled additions of a first material to a second material, comprising: heating a plurality of solid particles of the second material under selected ambient conditions in a crucible to completely form them into a liquid, the sizes of the particles being selected to range from about 4 millimeters minimum to about 125 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension and no more than 60% of such plurality being less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension, said particle size permitting space for shifting and settling of the particles within the crucible due to thermal expansion and gravity so that the crucible is not stressed to a condition of rupture as the particles are heated and formed into a liquid; varying the ambient conditions so that a top layer of the liquid forms at least a partially solidified structural layer of the second material with openings remaining which allow expansive relief as such structural layer forms, the structural layer being capable of supporting at least one additional solid particle of the first material; adding at least one solid particle of the first material onto the structural layer to substantially prevent such solid particle of the first material from contacting the liquid of the second material to prevent such liquid from being scattered; varying the ambient conditions to liquefy the added first material and the structural layer to increase the liquid volume; and contacting a single-crystalline seed ingot to the liquid and withdrawing the seed to grow a single-crystalline ingot.

Claim 7

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot using controlled additions of a first material to a second material, comprising: heating a plurality of solid particles of the second material under selected ambient conditions in a crucible to completely form them into a liquid, the sizes of the particles being selected to range from about 4 millimeters minimum to about 125 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension and no more than 60% of such plurality being less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension, said particle size permitting space for shifting and settling of the particles within the crucible due to thermal expansion and gravity so that the crucible is not stressed to a condition of rupture as the particles are heated and formed into a liquid; varying the ambient conditions so that a top layer of the liquid forms at least a partially solidified structural layer of the second material with openings remaining which allow expansive relief as such structural layer forms, the structural layer being capable of supporting at least one additional solid particle of the first material; adding at least one solid particle of the first material onto the structural layer to substantially prevent such solid particle of the first material from contacting the liquid of the second material to prevent such liquid from being scattered; varying the ambient conditions to liquefy the added first material and the structural layer to increase the liquid volume; and contacting a single-crystalline seed ingot to the liquid and withdrawing the seed to grow a single-crystalline ingot.

Claim 8

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot of a desired mass from a polycrystalline material, comprising: selecting solid particles of a polycrystalline material sized in the range of from about 4 millimeters minimum to about 125 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension and no more than 60 % of such particles being less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension; heating the solid particles of the polycrystalline material in a crucible of a crystal grower under selected ambient conditions to form such material partially into a liquid; varying the ambient conditions within the crystal grower so that the liquefying stops when the lower portion of the polycrystalline material in the crucible is liquefied but before all of the upper portion of the polycrystalline material becomes liquefied; depositing onto the upper portion of the polycrystalline material in the crucible, solid particles of additional polycrystalline material to substantially prevent such solid particles from falling into the liquid to prevent the liquid from being scattered outside the crucible; varying the ambient conditions within the crystal grower to liquefy all of the solid particles of the polycrystalline material to increase the liquid volume to the desired quantity; and contacting a single crystalline seed ingot of a desired crystalline lattice orientation to the liquid in the crucible and withdrawing the seed to grow a single-crystalline ingot of a desired mass.

Claim 9

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot of a desired mass from a polycrystalline material, comprising: selecting solid particles of a polycrystalline material sized in the range of from about 4 millimeters minimum to about 125 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension and no more than 60 % of such particles being less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension; heating the solid particles of the polycrystalline material in a crucible of a crystal grower under selected ambient conditions to form such material partially into a liquid; varying the ambient conditions within the crystal grower so that the liquefying stops when the lower portion of the polycrystalline material in the crucible is liquefied but before all of the upper portion of the polycrystalline material becomes liquefied; depositing onto the upper portion of the polycrystalline material in the crucible, solid particles of additional polycrystalline material to substantially prevent such solid particles from falling into the liquid to prevent the liquid from being scattered outside the crucible; varying the ambient conditions within the crystal grower to liquefy all of the solid particles of the polycrystalline material to increase the liquid volume to the desired quantity; and contacting a single crystalline seed ingot of a desired crystalline lattice orientation to the liquid in the crucible and withdrawing the seed to grow a single-crystalline ingot of a desired mass.

Claim 14

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot of a desired mass from a required mass of molten polycrystalline silicon material using a Czochralski crystal grower, comprising: heating an initial plurality of solid, polycrystalline silicon particles under selected ambient conditions in a crucible of a Czochralski crystal grower, the particles being selected of irregular shape, sized between about 4 millimeters minimum to about 125 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension at the largest section of each particle, graded so that not more than 60 % of the plurality are less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension, the plurality amounting to from about 70% to about 95% of the final required mass; varying the ambient conditions within the crucible of the grower to raise the temperature of the solid polycrystalline silicon particles above the melting point for silicon and holding that temperature until all but about 15% of the particles are fully melted into a homogeneous liquid; depositing another plurality of solid polycrystalline silicon particles within the crucible, upon the initial particles which are still solid, to substantially prevent the added plurality of solid particles from contacting the liquid, to prevent such liquid from being scattered about the chamber of the crystal grower, the other particles being selected with a size limitation of between about 4 millimeters minimum to about 25.4 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension at the largest section of each particle, graded so that not more than 25%, by weight, of the particles are from about 4 millimeters to about 12.7 millimeters in size; varying the ambient conditions within the crucible to raise the temperature of all the material above the melting point for silicon and holding it there for about 15 minutes to melt all the material to increase the liquid volume to the desired mass; and contacting a single-crystalline seed ingot of a desired crystalline lattice orientation to the molten silicon in the crucible and withdrawing the seed to grow a single-crystalline ingot of a desired mass.

Claim 15

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot of a desired mass from a required mass of molten polycrystalline silicon material using a Czochralski crystal grower, comprising: heating an initial plurality of solid, polycrystalline silicon particles under selected ambient conditions in a crucible of a Czochralski crystal grower, the particles being selected of irregular shape, sized between about 4 millimeters minimum to about 125 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension at the largest section of each particle, graded so that not more than 60 % of the plurality are less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension, the plurality amounting to from about 70% to about 95% of the final required mass; varying the ambient conditions within the crucible of the grower to raise the temperature of the solid polycrystalline silicon particles above the melting point for silicon and holding that temperature until all but about 15% of the particles are fully melted into a homogeneous liquid; depositing another plurality of solid polycrystalline silicon particles within the crucible, upon the initial particles which are still solid, to substantially prevent the added plurality of solid particles from contacting the liquid, to prevent such liquid from being scattered about the chamber of the crystal grower, the other particles being selected with a size limitation of between about 4 millimeters minimum to about 25.4 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension at the largest section of each particle, graded so that not more than 25%, by weight, of the particles are from about 4 millimeters to about 12.7 millimeters in size; varying the ambient conditions within the crucible to raise the temperature of all the material above the melting point for silicon and holding it there for about 15 minutes to melt all the material to increase the liquid volume to the desired mass; and contacting a single-crystalline seed ingot of a desired crystalline lattice orientation to the molten silicon in the crucible and withdrawing the seed to grow a single-crystalline ingot of a desired mass.

Claim 17

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot, comprising: melting a plurality of silicon particles under selected ambient conditions in a crucible, the particles being sized between about 4 millimeters minimum to about 125 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension at the largest section of each particle, graded so that not more than 60% of the plurality is less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension; and contacting a single-crystalline seed to the melted silicon and withdrawing the seed to grow a single-crystalline silicon ingot.

Claim 18

A method of growing a single-crystalline silicon ingot, comprising: melting a plurality of silicon particles under selected ambient conditions in a crucible, the particles being sized between about 4 millimeters minimum to about 125 millimeters maximum in cross-sectional dimension at the largest section of each particle, graded so that not more than 60% of the plurality is less than 60 millimeters in cross-sectional dimension; and contacting a single-crystalline seed to the melted silicon and withdrawing the seed to grow a single-crystalline silicon ingot.