Patent ID: 6984263

Claim:
In a single crystal pulling apparatus for providing a Czochralski crystal growth process, the improvement of a shallow melt crucible having melt connecting holes disposed outside of a growth compartment but inside of a feed compartment to eliminate the necessity of supplying a large quantity of feed stock materials that have to be preloaded in a deep crucible to grow a large ingot, comprising: a) a gas tight container; b) a crucible with a deepened periphery to prevent snapping of a shallow melt and reduce turbulent melt convection; c) semiconductor a double barrier to isolate heat in the feeding compartment from the growth compartment to melt solid feeding materials and minimize thermal impact to the growth crystal; d) an interface thermal gradient control, from which a shallow melt in the growth compartment allows for better thermal gradient control near an interface; and e) an interface heater or heat sink under the growth compartment, to provide a concave or convex interface shape.