Modelling of the pedestal growth of silicon crystals

Abstract

The pedestal method is an alternative to the well-known floating zone method, both of which are performed with high-frequency electromagnetic heating. Unlike the floating zone method, in the pedestal method a single crystal is pulled upwards from the melt. It allows one to lower feed rod quality requirements and simplify the process control due to the absence of open melting front. As the pedestal method has not been widely used in industry for silicon crystals, its development requires extensive numerical modelling. The present work describes application of the previously created mathematical model for crystals with diameters higher than it is currently possible in the experimental setup, as well as for the cone growth phase. Supplementary free surface heating, that prevents melt centre freezing during the seeding phase, has been added at the beginning of cone phase. After multiple sets of simulations, an optimal scheme of heating control for cone growth was proposed.