Single-crystal – oriented-crystal – and epitaxy growth processes; – Apparatus – With means for measuring – testing – or sensing
Patent
1997-09-30
1999-03-16
Breneman, R. Bruce
Single-crystal, oriented-crystal, and epitaxy growth processes;
Apparatus
With means for measuring, testing, or sensing
117 13, 117202, 117208, 117932, C30B 100
Patent
active
058824022
ABSTRACT:
A method and system for determining a diameter of a silicon single crystal being pulled from a silicon melt contained in a heated crucible. The melt has a surface with a meniscus visible as a bright area adjacent the pulled crystal. A camera generates an image of the interior of the crucible including a portion of the bright area adjacent the crystal. Image processing circuitry defines a central window region of the image having an elliptical shape at a position corresponding to an approximate center of the crystal and processes the image as a function of its pixel values to detect edges within the central window region. The image processing circuitry further groups the detected edges to define an object in the image corresponding to the crystal, determines a dimension of the defined object and determines an approximate diameter of the crystal as a function of the determined dimension of the defined object.
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Breneman R. Bruce
MEMC Electronic Materials , Inc.
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