In-situ detection of growth striations by crystallization electromotive force measurement during Czochralski crystal growth

Abstract

Growth striations, as macrodefects of crystalline materials, are mainly caused by convection and temperature fluctuations in growth interface. For decades, striations have been widely regarded as an inherent problem. Even in the well-developed Czochralski method, the striation formation process is difficult to inspect in situ. In view of this long-standing issue, after systematically studying the temperature, weight, and output power during crystal growth and numerically modeling the growth process, we found that the regularity of the growth interface electromotive force (GEMF) is related to the distribution of striations. Furthermore, the GEMF quantifies interface fluctuations (711.2s, 16.6μm) and thermal hysteresis (107s), presenting finer details than those provided by a thermocouple and a load cell. In this paper, GEMF is found to be an outstanding choice for monitoring the crystal growth status in real time. As an additional feedback, a new automatic control method could be developed for reducing growth striations and promoting crystal quality.