Patent ID: 6139627
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: C30B

Abstract:
A crystal growth system, comprising:a furnace, wherein said furnace comprises a substantially transparent inner quartz tube and a substantially transparent outer quartz tube surrounding said inner quartz tube;a plurality of heating elements coupled to said furnace, each said plurality of heating elements defining a heat zone, each said heating element set to a heat value;a plurality of thermocouples associated with respective heat zones to detect a temperature value;a translation system for passing an ampoule containing crystal growth material through said furnace into said heat zones and providing a positional location of said ampoule and;a multi-variable self-tuning controller connected to said plurality of heating elements, said plurality of thermocouples and said translation system, said controller monitoring each said heat value and said positional location and upon considering the interaction of each, adjusting said heat value to obtain optimal crystal growth within said ampoule.