Floating Zone Recrystallization of Silicon

Abstract

Equipment to carry out recrystallization and zone melting of silicon from a floating liquid zone is described. In the first design, silicon was melted by a tungsten ring. In an improved apparatus, no heater element inside the melting chamber is necessary, since the silicon is melted by induction heating. The system is capable of producing crystals of extreme purity. Silicon single crystals of resistivities up to several hundred ohm cm have been grown with the described equipment.