PROCESS FOR GROWTH OF DEFECT FREE SILICON CRYSTALS OF ARBITRARILY LARGE DIAMETERS

摘要

A process for growing single crystal silicon ingots which are substantially free of agglomerated intrinsic point defects. An ingot is grown generally in accordance with the Czochralski method. No portion of the ingot cools to a temperature which is less than a temperature TA at which agglomeration of intrinsic point defects in the ingot occurs during the time the ingot is being grown. The achievement of defect free ingots is thus substantially decoupled from process parameters, such as pull rate, and system parameters, such as axial temperature gradient in the ingot.