JP2009137781A - Method and apparatus for growing crystal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a single crystal having high uniformity, while preventing the change of its composition through the crystal growth process. <P>SOLUTION: In the method for growing a crystal 19 by immersing a seed crystal 17 in a raw material solution 18 in a crucible 11 located in a furnace 15, a raw material stick 21 having the same composition as that of the grown crystal 19 is made in contact with the raw material solution 18 simultaneously while the seed crystal 17 is made in contact with the raw material solution 18, where the thermal contact condition between the raw material stick 21 and the raw material solution 18 is kept and the raw material dissolved from the raw material stick 21 is supplied into the raw material solution 18 in a supply amount per unit of time corresponding to the weight of the grown crystal 19 per unit of time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a crystal growth method and an apparatus therefor, and more specifically, in a crystal growth by a TSSG method, a cairoporous method, a Bridgman method, or a temperature gradient solidification method, the composition change with respect to the growth direction of the grown crystal is suppressed, and uniform The present invention relates to a crystal growth method and apparatus for manufacturing a single crystal of a high quality.

Conventionally, a Czochralski method (CZ method) is known as a method for growing an oxide bulk single crystal, in which a seed crystal is dipped in a molten melt and pulled up while being pulled. In addition, a solution pulling method (TSSG: Top-Seeded Solution-Growth) method, which is one type of solution growth method using a solvent in the raw material, and a chiroporus method for growing without pulling up crystals are known. The TSSG method can control the shape of the crystal as well as the CZ method known as the crystal growth method of Si, GaAs, and LiNbO ₃ single crystals, and can obtain a crystal base material for manufacturing a large wafer. it can. In addition, the FZ (Floating Zone) method in which a solid raw material is optically melted, the sample is purified while the molten portion is moved, and crystals are grown, or a melt or solution of the molten raw material is added to the crucible. The Bridgman method, the temperature gradient solidification method, and the like that are solidified therein are known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 1 shows a conventional crystal growth apparatus using the TSSG method. The crystal manufacturing apparatus has a vertical tubular furnace 5 whose temperature can be controlled by a heater 4, and a crucible 1 in which a raw material solution 8 is placed in a crucible base 2 in the vertical tubular furnace 5. The vertical tubular furnace 5 is hermetically sealed by a furnace body lid 10, and the temperature inside the furnace is kept constant by the soaking tube 3 installed on the inner surface. In such a configuration, the seed crystal 7 attached to the tip of the pulling shaft 6 is immersed in the molten raw material solution 8 to grow the growth crystal 9.

  In order to grow a high quality single crystal with an emphasis on the uniformity of the growth temperature, a uniform temperature distribution in the vertical tubular furnace 5, that is, in the vicinity where the crucible 1, the raw material solution 8 and the growth crystal 9 are located. is required. Therefore, as described above, the resistance heating type vertical tubular furnace 5 having high temperature uniformity is configured. The pulling shaft 6 is generally a pulling shaft formed of an oxide or a noble metal.

  As raw materials, oxides and carbides, which are raw materials, are weighed so as to have a desired composition ratio and filled in the crucible 1. As the solvent, an oxide or carbide that is a constituent component of the crystal may be excessively added, or an oxide or carbide that is different from the constituent component of the crystal may be additionally added. The crucible 1 charged with the raw material is installed on the crucible base 2 installed in the vertical tubular furnace 5. By heating the heater 4, the raw material is heated and dissolved to prepare a raw material solution 8. The pulling shaft 6 with the seed crystal 7 attached to the tip is introduced into the vertical tubular furnace 5 and brought into contact with the raw material solution 8 to start crystal growth.

  When the seed crystal 7 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 8, that is, in the seeding process, the temperature of the raw material solution 8 is adjusted to realize a state in which the seed crystal 7 does not dissolve and crystal growth does not occur. Thereafter, the raw material solution 8 is cooled by adjusting the heating amount at the same time as the pulling shaft 6 is pulled up while rotating. By this cooling, the raw material solution 8 becomes supersaturated. When a supersaturated state sufficient for crystal growth is realized in the raw material solution 8, crystals begin to precipitate at the tip of the seed crystal 7 and crystal growth starts. Then, the growth process proceeds in the order of seeding, shoulder expansion, and constant diameter portion. During the growth, the state is detected by using a shape sensor or a weight sensor, and the temperature of the grown crystal 9 is controlled by increasing the temperature when the growth is fast and cooling when the growth is slow. Further, the growth crystal 9 may be grown in the raw material solution 8 without raising the pulling shaft 6.

JP 59-107996 JP 2000-344595 A

  In the crystal growth process using a solution raw material, the crystal composition changes as the crystal grows due to the solid solution property in which the solute composition in the solution raw material and the composition of the grown crystal are different, and the inconsistent melting property in which the composition of the dissolved raw material and the composition of the grown crystal are different. It is known to change. Therefore, as a conventional technique for suppressing a change in crystal composition, a raw material charging method in which an additional raw material is replenished in a powder or droplet state during crystal growth is known (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  However, when the powder raw material is replenished, the powder raw material is at room temperature at the time of charging, and thus is lower than the temperature of the dissolved raw material solution in the crucible, and the temperature of the raw material solution is lowered by supplying the powder and dissolving the powder raw material. . On the other hand, even when replenishing in a droplet state, it is difficult to make the droplet coincide with the temperature of the raw material solution, and the temperature of the raw material solution is changed by the difference between the temperature of the liquid droplet raw material and the temperature of the raw material solution. End up. Therefore, the conventional raw material charging method has a problem that the temperature of the raw material solution during crystal growth is changed to affect the growth rate of the grown crystal. Since the composition of the growth crystal correlates with the growth rate, a change in the growth rate induces a variation in the composition of the growth crystal.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a crystal growth method capable of preventing a composition change in the crystal growth process and manufacturing a highly uniform single crystal, and the method thereof. To provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a crystal growth method for growing a crystal by immersing a seed crystal in a raw material solution in a crucible installed in a furnace. At the same time that the seed crystal is brought into contact with the raw material solution, a raw material rod having the same composition as that of the grown crystal is brought into contact with the raw material solution, and the thermal contact state between the raw material rod and the raw material solution is maintained, and unit time The raw material melted from the raw material rod is supplied to the raw material solution at a supply amount per unit time corresponding to the growth amount of the per grown crystal.

  The temperature of the portion where the raw material rod is in contact with the raw material solution is preferably maintained higher than the temperature of the portion where the seed crystal or the growth crystal is in contact with the raw material solution, and more preferably The temperature difference is within 5 to 100 ° C.

  The raw material rod can be produced by weighing and mixing raw materials so as to have the same composition as that of the grown crystal, followed by pressure compression.

  The invention according to claim 7 detects a parameter for calculating a growth amount of a grown crystal in a crystal growing apparatus for growing a crystal by immersing a seed crystal in a raw material solution in a crucible installed in a furnace. Detection means, a raw material rod lifting / lowering means for inserting a raw material rod having the same composition as the grown crystal into the raw material solution, and a growth amount of the grown crystal per unit time determined from the parameters detected by the detection means And a raw material supply control means for controlling the raw material rod raising / lowering means so that the raw material dissolved from the raw material rod is supplied to the raw material solution at a supply amount per unit time that matches .

  The detection means measures, as the parameter, the weight of the grown crystal or the height of the liquid surface of the raw material solution.

  As described above, according to the present invention, according to the growth amount of the grown crystal, the raw material is supplied from the raw material rod to the raw material solution, and the crystal is grown while keeping the composition of the raw material solution constant. Single crystal can be manufactured, and the utilization efficiency of the single crystal can be improved.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the raw material rod and the raw material solution are kept in a thermal contact state, the temperature of the raw material solution is not changed by the additional supply of the raw material, and the growth rate of the grown crystal is not changed. Thus, a single crystal of uniform quality can be produced, and the utilization efficiency of the single crystal can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a raw material rod having the same composition as the crystal composition grown from the raw material solution is brought into contact with the raw material solution. Here, the raw material rod is maintained at a temperature higher than the temperature of the portion where the seed crystal is in contact with the raw material solution. Although the composition of the raw material solution tends to change as the crystal grows, the raw material consumed by the growth is supplied from the raw material rod according to the growth amount of the growing crystal, so that the composition of the raw material solution can be kept constant. .

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a crystal manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The crystal manufacturing apparatus has a vertical tubular furnace 15 whose temperature can be controlled by a heater 14, and a crucible 11 in which a raw material solution 18 is placed in a crucible base 12 in the vertical tubular furnace 15. The vertical tubular furnace 15 is hermetically sealed with a furnace body lid 20, and the temperature inside the furnace is kept constant by a soaking tube 13 installed on the inner surface. In order to achieve a uniform temperature distribution in the vertical tubular furnace 15, a resistance heating type heater is used as the heater 14. In such a configuration, the seed crystal 17 attached to the tip of the pulling shaft 16 is immersed in the molten raw material solution 18 to grow the growth crystal 19.

  As described above, in the seeding process, the temperature of the raw material solution 18 is adjusted to realize a state in which the seed crystal 17 does not dissolve and crystal growth does not occur. Thereafter, the raw material solution 18 is cooled by adjusting the heating amount while rotating the pulling shaft 16. By this cooling, the raw material solution 18 becomes supersaturated and is cooled by the deheated pulling shaft 16, and crystals begin to precipitate at the tip of the seed crystal 7 having the lowest temperature in the raw material solution 18, and crystal growth starts.

  The crystal manufacturing apparatus includes a raw material rod lifting / lowering device 24 that can raise and lower a raw material rod 21 having the same composition as the crystal grown from the raw material solution 18 via a raw material rod lifting / lowering shaft 22, and a growth amount of the grown crystal 19. As parameters for calculation, a weight detector 23 for measuring the weight of the grown crystal 19 and a raw material supply control device 25 connected to the raw material rod lifting / lowering device 24 as an output and a weight detector 23 as an output are provided.

  First, the crystal weight is measured by the weight detector 23 to detect the growth amount of the grown crystal. In order to supply the raw material consumed by the growth from the raw material rod, the raw material rod lifting device 24 is controlled to insert the raw material rod 21 into the raw material solution 18. Specifically, the raw material supply control device 25 obtains the amount of crystal growth per unit time from the weight of the grown crystal detected by the weight detector 23. The length per unit time for melting the raw material rod is calculated so as to be the same amount as the crystal growth amount. The raw material supply control device 25 transmits the length per unit time for melting the raw material rod to the raw material rod lifting device 24 and lowers the raw material rod lifting shaft 22. The raw material rod 21 fixed to the tip of the raw material rod raising / lowering shaft 22 is inserted by a necessary length to be dissolved in the raw material solution 18 by the lowering of the raw material rod raising / lowering shaft 22. The raw material solution temperature of the portion into which the raw material rod 21 is inserted is set to be higher than the raw material solution temperature of the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19 in advance. Due to this temperature difference, the raw material rod 21 is melted, and the growth crystal 19 can maintain its growth. By repeatedly performing the above operation during the growth, the raw material corresponding to the crystal growth amount is replenished. In this way, the composition of the raw material solution can be kept constant according to the growth amount of the growth crystal 24.

  In the case of solution growth, as the crystal growth proceeds, the solute component is consumed, the dissolved mass in the solvent component decreases, and the crystallization temperature decreases. In the conventional method, it is necessary to keep cooling the temperature of the raw material solution 18 according to the consumption amount of the solute component during the crystal growth. However, in this embodiment, since the composition of the raw material solution is constant, there is no need to continue cooling.

FIG. 3 shows the temperature distribution of the raw material solution in the crucible. The temperature distribution in the radial direction of the liquid surface of the raw material solution 18 measured from the center of the crucible 11 toward the outer periphery is shown as the radius r of the crucible 11. At the center of the crucible 11, that is, at the portion −r ₀ ≦ r ≦ + r ₀ (where r ₀ is the crystal radius) where the seed crystal 17 or the grown crystal 19 is in contact with the raw material solution 18, a uniform temperature distribution of the temperature a is realized. . The temperature b where the raw material rod 21 is in contact with the raw material solution 18 is maintained at a temperature higher than the temperature a.

  The raw material rod 21 is dissolved by the temperature difference between the temperature b and the temperature a, and the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19 can maintain the growth. If the temperature difference between the temperature b and the temperature a is too small, crystals grow on both the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19 having a heat removal path and the raw material rod 21. In order to realize a state in which a crystal grows on the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19 and no crystal grows on the raw material rod 21, a temperature difference between the temperature b and the temperature a needs to be 5 ° C. or more. If the temperature difference between the temperature b and the temperature a is too large, thermal convection from the outer periphery toward the center is promoted on the liquid surface of the raw material solution 18. When the convection of the raw material solution 18 is intense, the crystal growth rate fluctuates due to temperature fluctuations caused by the convection, the crystal composition fluctuates, and quality deterioration occurs. From the viewpoint of suppressing the convection, the temperature difference between the temperature b and the temperature a is preferably within 20 ° C.

  Although not described in detail in FIG. 2, the temperature distribution in the radial direction of the liquid surface of the raw material solution 18 is obtained by dividing the heater 14 into a plurality of zones and adjusting the bias condition of each divided heater. It can be realized by adjusting the heat transfer state around the crucible, for example, by installing a heat insulator on the outer periphery of the crucible 11 or mounting a ring having an inner diameter smaller than the crucible diameter.

  In this way, the raw material rod 21 is supplied by spontaneous dissolution from the surface inserted into the raw material solution 18. Since the raw material rod 21 is in contact with the dissolved raw material, the thermal contact is maintained and the temperature of the raw material solution 18 is not changed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in crystal quality without affecting the growth rate of the crystal being grown. Further, since the temperature b is maintained at a temperature higher than the temperature a, the crystal does not grow using the raw material rod 21 as a nucleus in place of the seed crystal 17.

  In the conventional method of replenishing the replenishing raw material with powder or droplets, the surface of the raw material solution is shaken during replenishment. In the TSSG method and the Cairo porous method, a part of the raw material solution called meniscus exists around the growth crystal, and changing its shape affects the quality of the growth crystal. According to this embodiment, since the replenishing material is in contact with the raw material solution, the replenishing material can be replenished without affecting the surface fluctuation of the raw material solution, and the quality of the grown crystal during growth is not impaired.

  Setting the temperature of the seed crystal or the growth crystal low and the temperature of the raw material rod high is not only the crystal growth by the TSSG method and the chiroporous method described using the crystal production apparatus shown in FIG. It can also be applied to crystal growth by the method and temperature gradient solidification method. The crystal growth amount per unit time can be calculated based on the phase diagram from the temperature drop amount instead of the crystal weight measurement. Further, the crystal growth amount may be obtained by specifying the growth interface position by using a temperature distribution simulation method in the crucible. Since the density of the grown crystal and the density of the raw material solution are different, the height of the growing raw material solution surface increases or decreases during crystal growth. It is also possible to determine the crystal growth amount by measuring the position of the raw material solution surface during growth. Based on the obtained crystal growth amount per unit time, the raw material rod is inserted into the raw material solution while being controlled by a necessary length for melting.

  By repeatedly performing the above temperature drop and raw material rod insertion, the raw material corresponding to the growth amount of the grown crystal is replenished, and the composition of the raw material solution can be kept constant, as in the TSSG method and the cairoporous method. In the case of crystal growth by the vertical Bridgman method and the temperature gradient solidification method, a temperature distribution is realized in which the temperature below the furnace is low and the temperature above the furnace is high, and convection of the raw material solution does not occur. Therefore, it is not necessary to limit the temperature difference between the temperature b of the raw material rod and the temperature a of the seed crystal or the grown crystal described in the crystal growth by the TSSG method or the chiroporous method to within 20 ° C. However, in order to suppress evaporation of the raw material solution, it is desirable that the temperature difference between the seed crystal or the grown crystal and the raw material rod is within 100 ° C.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below. This embodiment is an example, and it goes without saying that various improvements can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Examples of the preparation of KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal by TSSG method will be described with reference to FIG. The KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ solute raw material is weighed so that the raw materials K ₂ CO ₃ , Ta ₂ O _5, and Nb ₂ O ₅ have a desired composition ratio, and filled in the crucible 11. A crucible 11 is selected in which K is selected as the solvent and excess K ₂ CO ₃ is also added. KTa _x a Nb _1-x O ₃ crucible 11 solute material and excess K is turned on, is placed on a vertical tubular furnace crucible base 12 installed in the 15. By heating the heater 14, the raw material is heated and dissolved to prepare a raw material solution 18. The pulling shaft 16 with the seed crystal 17 attached to the tip is introduced into the vertical tubular furnace 15 and brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 to start crystal growth. In order to degas unnecessary carbonate groups during the temperature melting of the raw material, an overheating process higher than the temperature at which crystal growth is started is performed.

The raw material rod 21 is prepared by mixing raw materials K ₂ CO ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ and Nb ₂ O ₅ and weighing them so as to have the same composition ratio as the crystals grown in the constant diameter part process. Compressed and compressed into a rod shape with a diameter of 1 cm and a length of 50 cm. This is sintered at 1000 ° C. to obtain a raw material rod 21. The filling rate of the raw material rods 21 is preferably close to 100%. After sintering at 1000 ° C., the filling rate can be increased by repeating the steps of pulverization, pressure compression, and re-sintering.

  When the seed crystal 17 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18, that is, in the seeding process, the temperature of the raw material solution 18 is adjusted to realize a state in which the seed crystal 17 does not dissolve and crystal growth does not occur. Thereafter, the raw material solution 18 is cooled by adjusting the heating amount while rotating the pulling shaft 16. By this cooling, the raw material solution 18 becomes supersaturated, is cooled by the deheated pulling shaft 16, and crystals begin to precipitate at the tip of the seed crystal 17 having the lowest temperature in the raw material solution 18, and crystal growth begins. Then, raising is started by raising the raising shaft 16 at a speed of 0.1 mm / hr. By continuing the cooling of the raw material solution 18 by adjusting the heating amount, the diameter of the growth crystal 19 increases, and the shoulder expansion process of the growth crystal 19 is performed.

  When the diameter of the growth crystal 19 reaches a desired diameter, the heating amount is made constant and the raw material rod 21 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 at the same time. Thereafter, a constant diameter portion process with a constant crystal diameter is performed. As the crystal grows, the weight of the crystal is measured by the weight detector 23, and the raw material supply control device 25 determines the amount of crystal growth per unit time. The raw material supply control device 25 calculates the length per unit time for melting the raw material rod so as to be the same amount as this crystal growth amount, and transmits it to the raw material rod lifting device 24. The raw material rod lifting device 24 lowers the raw material rod 21 fixed to the tip of the raw material rod lifting shaft 22 by a length per unit time for melting the raw material rod. The raw material solution temperature of the portion into which the raw material rod 21 is inserted is set to 5 ° C. higher than the raw material solution temperature of the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19 in advance. Due to this temperature difference, the raw material rod 21 is melted, and the growth crystal 19 maintains its growth. By repeating the above operation during the constant diameter portion process, the raw material corresponding to the crystal growth amount is replenished.

When the growth crystal 19 grows to a desired size, the pulling shaft 16 is pulled up at a high speed, the growth crystal 19 is separated from the raw material solution 18, and the crystal growth is stopped. After crystal growth, the heating amount of the heater 14 is lowered, and the vertical tubular furnace 15 is cooled to room temperature. A faceted surface having no shape variation appeared in the constant diameter portion of the grown crystal. There is no change in the outer shape due to changes in growth conditions, and no defects are observed. By visual observation, a KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal having a uniform color tone and no intervening defects can be obtained.

The crystal is cut along the pulling direction and polished to produce a wafer. When the composition of the produced wafer was analyzed by chemical analysis, the composition x of the grown crystal 19 grown in the constant diameter portion process was constant with respect to the pulling direction. When the constant diameter portion is grown by cooling without inserting the raw material rod, since KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ is a solid solution, the composition x of the grown crystal grown in the constant diameter portion step increases as it is pulled up. Decrease. On the other hand, the composition of the raw material solution can be kept constant according to the growth amount of the grown crystal by performing the constant diameter portion process while replenishing the raw material by inserting the raw material rod.

An example of a method for producing a K _1-y Li _y Ta _x Nb _1-x O ₃ (0 <y <0.4) single crystal by the TSSG method will be described with reference to FIG. The K _1-y Li _y Ta _x Nb _1-x O ₃ solute raw material is formed so that the raw materials K ₂ CO ₃ , Li ₂ CO ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ and Nb ₂ O ₅ have a desired composition ratio. The crucible 11 is filled. A mixture of K and Li is selected as a solvent, and excess K ₂ CO ₃ and Li ₂ CO ₃ are also filled in the crucible 11. A crucible 11 charged with K _{1 -y} Li _y Ta _x Nb _{1 -x} O ₃ solute raw material and excess K and Li is placed on a crucible base 12 installed in a vertical tubular furnace 15. By heating the heater 14, the raw material is heated and dissolved to prepare a raw material solution 18. The pulling shaft 16 with the seed crystal 17 attached to the tip is introduced into the vertical tubular furnace 15 and brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 to start crystal growth. In order to degas unnecessary carbonate groups during the temperature dissolution of the raw material, an overheating process higher than the temperature at which crystal growth was started was performed.

The raw material rod 21 is produced by mixing the raw materials K ₂ CO ₃ , Li ₂ CO ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ and Nb ₂ O _5, and having the same composition ratio as the crystal grown in the constant diameter part process. Weigh so that it is compressed into a rod with a diameter of 1 cm and a length of 50 cm. This is sintered at 900 ° C. to obtain the raw material rod 21. The filling rate of the raw material rods 21 is preferably close to 100%. After the sintering at 900 ° C., the filling rate can be increased by repeating the steps of pulverization, pressure compression, and re-sintering.

  When the seed crystal 17 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18, that is, in the seeding process, the temperature of the raw material solution 18 is adjusted to realize a state in which the seed crystal 17 does not dissolve and crystal growth does not occur. Thereafter, the raw material solution 18 is cooled by adjusting the heating amount while rotating the pulling shaft 16. By this cooling, the raw material solution 18 becomes supersaturated, is cooled by the deheated pulling shaft 16, and crystals begin to precipitate at the tip of the seed crystal 17 having the lowest temperature in the raw material solution 18, and crystal growth begins. Then, raising is started by raising the raising shaft 16 at a speed of 0.2 mm / hr upward. By continuing cooling of the raw material solution 18 by adjusting the heating amount, the diameter of the growth crystal 19 increases, and the shoulder expansion process of the growth crystal 19 is performed.

  When the diameter of the growth crystal 19 reaches a desired diameter, the heating amount is made constant and the raw material rod 21 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 at the same time. Thereafter, a constant diameter portion process with a constant crystal diameter is performed. As the crystal grows, the weight of the crystal is measured by the weight detector 23, and the raw material supply control device 25 determines the amount of crystal growth per unit time. The raw material supply control device 25 calculates the length per unit time for melting the raw material rod so as to be the same amount as this crystal growth amount, and transmits it to the raw material rod lifting device 24. The raw material rod lifting device 24 lowers the raw material rod 21 fixed to the tip of the raw material rod lifting shaft 22 by a length per unit time for melting the raw material rod. The raw material solution temperature of the portion where the raw material rod 21 is inserted is set in advance to 10 ° C. higher than the raw material solution temperature of the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19. Due to this temperature difference, the raw material rod 21 is melted, and the growth crystal 19 maintains its growth. By repeating the above operation during the constant diameter portion process, the raw material corresponding to the crystal growth amount is replenished.

When the growth crystal 19 grows to a desired size, the pulling shaft 16 is pulled up at a high speed, the growth crystal 19 is separated from the raw material solution 18, and the crystal growth is stopped. After crystal growth, the heating amount of the heater 14 is lowered, and the vertical tubular furnace 15 is cooled to room temperature. A faceted surface having no shape variation appeared in the constant diameter portion of the grown crystal. There is no change in the outer shape due to changes in growth conditions, and no defects are observed. As a result of visual observation, a K _1-y Li _y Ta _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal having a uniform color tone and no intervening defects can be obtained.

The crystal is cut along the pulling direction and polished to produce a wafer. When the composition of the produced wafer was analyzed by chemical analysis, the compositions x and y of the grown crystal 19 grown in the constant diameter portion process were constant with respect to the pulling direction. When the constant-diameter portion is grown by cooling without inserting the raw material rod, the composition of the grown crystal grown in the constant-diameter portion step is because K _1-y Li _y Ta _x Nb _1-x O ₃ is a solid solution. x decreases as it is raised. Further, since Li is not taken into the crystal in accordance with the Li / (K + Li) ratio charged as a raw material, y also changes. On the other hand, the composition of the raw material solution can be kept constant according to the growth amount of the grown crystal by performing the constant diameter portion process while replenishing the raw material by inserting the raw material rod.

Examples of the preparation of KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal by TSSG method will be described with reference to FIG. The KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ solute raw material is weighed so that the raw materials K ₂ CO ₃ , Ta ₂ O _5, and Nb ₂ O ₅ have a desired composition ratio, and filled in the crucible 11. A crucible 11 is selected in which K is selected as the solvent and excess K ₂ CO ₃ is also added. Further, elements of the periodic table Ia and IIa such as Na, Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba are added as impurities. The amount added is 1% or less with respect to the total number of moles of solute and solvent K, Ta, and Nb. KTa _x a Nb _1-x O ₃ crucible 11 solute material and excess K and impurities are introduced, placed on a vertical tubular furnace crucible base 12 installed in the 15. By heating the heater 14, the raw material is heated and dissolved to prepare a raw material solution 18. The pulling shaft 16 with the seed crystal 17 attached to the tip is introduced into the vertical tubular furnace 15 and brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 to start crystal growth. In order to degas unnecessary carbonate groups during the temperature melting of the raw material, an overheating process higher than the temperature at which crystal growth is started is performed.

The raw material rod 21 is prepared by mixing raw materials K ₂ CO ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ , Nb ₂ O ₅ and impurities, and weighing them so as to have the same composition ratio as the crystal grown in the constant diameter part process. Then, press and compress into a rod shape having a diameter of 1 cm and a length of 50 cm. This is sintered at 1000 ° C. to obtain a raw material rod 21. The filling rate of the raw material rods 21 is preferably close to 100%. After the sintering at 1000 ° C., the filling rate can be increased by repeating the steps of pulverization, pressure compression, and re-sintering.

  When the seed crystal 17 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18, that is, in the seeding process, the temperature of the raw material solution 18 is adjusted to realize a state in which the seed crystal 17 does not dissolve and crystal growth does not occur. Thereafter, the raw material solution 18 is cooled by adjusting the heating amount while rotating the pulling shaft 16. By this cooling, the raw material solution 18 becomes supersaturated, is cooled by the deheated pulling shaft 16, and crystals begin to precipitate at the tip of the seed crystal 17 having the lowest temperature in the raw material solution 18, and crystal growth begins. Then, raising is started by raising the raising shaft 16 at a speed of 0.1 mm / hr upward. By continuing cooling of the raw material solution 18 by adjusting the heating amount, the diameter of the growth crystal 19 increases, and the shoulder expansion process of the growth crystal 19 is performed.

  When the diameter of the growth crystal 19 reaches a desired diameter, the heating amount is made constant and the raw material rod 21 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 at the same time. Thereafter, a constant diameter portion process with a constant crystal diameter is performed. As the crystal grows, the weight of the crystal is measured by the weight detector 23, and the raw material supply control device 25 determines the amount of crystal growth per unit time. The raw material supply control device 25 calculates the length per unit time for melting the raw material rod so as to be the same amount as this crystal growth amount, and transmits it to the raw material rod lifting device 24. The raw material rod lifting device 24 lowers the raw material rod 21 fixed to the tip of the raw material rod lifting shaft 22 by a length per unit time for melting the raw material rod. The raw material solution temperature of the portion where the raw material rod 21 is inserted is set in advance to 10 ° C. higher than the raw material solution temperature of the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19. Due to this temperature difference, the raw material rod 21 is melted, and the growth crystal 19 maintains its growth. By repeating the above operation during the constant diameter portion process, the raw material corresponding to the crystal growth amount is replenished.

When the growth crystal 19 grows to a desired size, the pulling shaft 16 is pulled up at a high speed, the growth crystal 19 is separated from the raw material solution 18, and the crystal growth is stopped. After crystal growth, the heating amount of the heater 14 is lowered, and the vertical tubular furnace 15 is cooled to room temperature. A faceted surface having no shape variation appeared in the constant diameter portion of the grown crystal. There is no change in the outer shape due to changes in growth conditions, and no defects are observed. In visual observation, the color tone intervening uniform and defect nor observed KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal was obtained.

The crystal was cut along the pulling direction and polished to prepare a wafer. When the composition of the produced wafer was analyzed by chemical analysis, the composition x of the grown crystal 19 grown in the constant diameter portion process was constant with respect to the pulling direction. When the constant diameter portion is grown by cooling without inserting the raw material rod, since KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ is a solid solution, the composition x of the grown crystal grown in the constant diameter portion step increases as it is pulled up. Decrease. In addition, the added impurities do not have a solid-liquid segregation coefficient of 1, and in the case of the conventional production method, they could not be uniformly added to the KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal. On the other hand, the KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal grown in Example 3, the added impurity is evenly added. Therefore, the composition of the raw material solution can be kept constant according to the growth amount of the grown crystal by performing the constant diameter portion process while replenishing the raw material by inserting the raw material rod.

An embodiment of a method for producing a LiNbO ₃ single crystal by the TSSG method will be described with reference to FIG. As the LiNbO ₃ raw material, the raw materials Li ₂ CO ₃ and Nb ₂ O ₅ are weighed so as to have a composition ratio of 1: 1 and filled in the crucible 11. The crucible 11 charged with the LiNbO ₃ raw material is placed on the crucible base 12 installed in the vertical tubular furnace 15. By heating the heater 14, the raw material is heated and dissolved to prepare a raw material solution 18. The pulling shaft 16 with the seed crystal 17 attached to the tip is introduced into the vertical tubular furnace 15 and brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 to start crystal growth. In order to degas unnecessary carbonate groups during the temperature melting of the raw material, an overheating process higher than the temperature at which crystal growth is started is performed.

The raw material rod 21 is prepared by mixing Li ₂ CO ₃ and Nb ₂ O _{5 as} raw materials in a composition ratio of 1: 1, and compressing and compressing them into a rod shape having a diameter of 2 cm and a length of 50 cm. This is sintered at 1200 ° C. to obtain a raw material rod 21. The filling rate of the raw material rods 21 is preferably close to 100%. After sintering at 1200 ° C., the filling rate can be increased by repeating the steps of pulverization, pressure compression, and re-sintering.

  When the seed crystal 17 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18, that is, in the seeding process, the temperature of the raw material solution 18 is adjusted to realize a state in which the seed crystal 17 does not dissolve and crystal growth does not occur. Thereafter, the raw material solution 18 is cooled by adjusting the heating amount while rotating the pulling shaft 16. By this cooling, the raw material solution 18 becomes supersaturated, is cooled by the deheated pulling shaft 16, and crystals begin to precipitate at the tip of the seed crystal 17 having the lowest temperature in the raw material solution 18, and crystal growth begins. Then, raising is started by raising the raising shaft 16 at a speed of 0.5 mm / hr. By continuing the cooling of the raw material solution 18 by adjusting the heating amount, the diameter of the growth crystal 19 is increased, and a shoulder expansion process for the growth crystal is performed.

  When the diameter of the growth crystal 19 reaches a desired diameter, the heating amount is made constant and the raw material rod 21 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 at the same time. Thereafter, a constant diameter portion process with a constant crystal diameter is performed. As the crystal grows, the weight of the crystal is measured by the weight detector 23, and the raw material supply control device 25 determines the amount of crystal growth per unit time. The raw material supply control device 25 calculates the length per unit time for melting the raw material rod so as to be the same amount as this crystal growth amount, and transmits it to the raw material rod lifting device 24. The raw material rod lifting device 24 lowers the raw material rod 21 fixed to the tip of the raw material rod lifting shaft 22 by a length per unit time for melting the raw material rod. The raw material solution temperature of the portion into which the raw material rod 21 is inserted is set to 20 ° C. higher than the raw material solution temperature of the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19 in advance. Due to this temperature difference, the raw material rod 21 is melted, and the growth crystal 19 maintains its growth. By repeating the above operation during the constant diameter portion process, the raw material corresponding to the crystal growth amount is replenished.

When the growth crystal 19 grows to a desired size, the pulling shaft 16 is pulled up at a high speed, the growth crystal 19 is separated from the raw material solution 18, and the crystal growth is stopped. After crystal growth, the heating amount of the heater 14 is lowered, and the vertical tubular furnace 15 is cooled to room temperature. There is no change in the outer shape due to changes in growth conditions, and no defects are observed. As a result of visual observation, a LiNbO ₃ single crystal having a uniform color tone and no intervening defects was obtained.

The crystal is cut along the pulling direction and polished to produce a wafer. When the composition of the produced wafer was analyzed by chemical analysis, the Li / (Li + Nb) ratio of the grown crystal 19 grown in the constant diameter portion step was 1 in the pulling direction and was constant. When the constant diameter part is grown by cooling without inserting the raw material rod, LiNbO ₃ is inconsistent melting, so the Li / (Li + Nb) ratio of the grown crystal grown in the constant diameter part process is increased. Increase from 1. Therefore, the composition of the raw material solution can be kept constant according to the growth amount of the grown crystal by performing the constant diameter portion process while replenishing the raw material by inserting the raw material rod.

An embodiment of a method for producing a LiTaO ₃ single crystal by the TSSG method will be described with reference to FIG. As the LiTaO ₃ raw material, Li ₂ CO ₃ and Ta ₂ O _{5 as} raw materials are weighed so as to have a composition ratio of 1: 1, and filled in the crucible 11. The crucible 11 charged with the LiTaO ₃ raw material is placed on the crucible base 12 installed in the vertical tubular furnace 15. By heating the heater 14, the raw material is heated and dissolved to prepare a raw material solution 18. The pulling shaft 16 with the seed crystal 17 attached to the tip is introduced into the vertical tubular furnace 15 and brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 to start crystal growth. In order to degas unnecessary carbonate groups during the temperature melting of the raw material, an overheating process higher than the temperature at which crystal growth is started is performed.

The raw material rod 21 is prepared by mixing Li ₂ CO ₃ and Ta ₂ O ₅ which are raw materials at a composition ratio of 1: 1, and pressurizing and compressing into a rod shape having a diameter of 2 cm and a length of 50 cm. This is sintered at 1500 ° C. to obtain a raw material rod 21. The filling rate of the raw material rods 21 is preferably close to 100%. After sintering at 1500 ° C., the filling rate can be increased by repeating the steps of pulverization, pressure compression, and re-sintering.

  When the seed crystal 17 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18, that is, in the seeding process, the temperature of the raw material solution 18 is adjusted to realize a state in which the seed crystal 17 does not dissolve and crystal growth does not occur. Thereafter, the raw material solution 18 is cooled by adjusting the heating amount while rotating the pulling shaft 16. By this cooling, the raw material solution 18 becomes supersaturated, is cooled by the deheated pulling shaft 16, and crystals begin to precipitate at the tip of the seed crystal 17 having the lowest temperature in the raw material solution 18, and crystal growth begins. Then, raising is started by raising the raising shaft 16 at a speed of 1.0 mm / hr upward. By continuing the cooling of the raw material solution 18 by adjusting the heating amount, the diameter of the growth crystal 19 increases, and the shoulder expansion process of the growth crystal 19 is performed.

  When the diameter of the growth crystal 19 reaches a desired diameter, the heating amount is made constant and the raw material rod 21 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 18 at the same time. Thereafter, a constant diameter portion process with a constant crystal diameter is performed. As the crystal grows, the weight of the crystal is measured by the weight detector 23, and the raw material supply control device 25 determines the amount of crystal growth per unit time. The raw material supply control device 25 calculates the length per unit time for melting the raw material rod so as to be the same amount as this crystal growth amount, and transmits it to the raw material rod lifting device 24. The raw material rod lifting device 24 lowers the raw material rod 21 fixed to the tip of the raw material rod lifting shaft 22 by a length per unit time for melting the raw material rod. The raw material solution temperature of the portion into which the raw material rod 21 is inserted is set to 20 ° C. higher than the raw material solution temperature of the seed crystal 17 or the growth crystal 19 in advance. Due to this temperature difference, the raw material rod 21 is melted, and the growth crystal 19 maintains its growth. By repeating the above operation during the constant diameter portion process, the raw material corresponding to the crystal growth amount is replenished.

When the growth crystal 19 grows to a desired size, the pulling shaft 16 is pulled up at a high speed, the growth crystal 19 is separated from the raw material solution 18, and the crystal growth is stopped. After crystal growth, the heating amount of the heater 14 is lowered, and the vertical tubular furnace 15 is cooled to room temperature. There is no change in the outer shape due to changes in growth conditions, and no defects are observed. As a result of visual observation, a LiNbO ₃ single crystal having a uniform color tone and no intervening defects was obtained.

The crystal is cut along the pulling direction and polished to produce a wafer. When the composition of the produced wafer was analyzed by chemical analysis, the Li / (Li + Ta) ratio of the grown crystal 19 grown in the constant diameter portion step was 1 in the pulling direction and was constant. When the constant diameter part is grown by cooling without inserting the raw material rod, LiTaO ₃ is inconsistent melting, so the Li / (Li + Ta) ratio of the grown crystal grown in the constant diameter part process is increased as it is increased. Increase from 1. Therefore, the composition of the raw material solution 18 can be kept constant according to the growth amount of the grown crystal by performing the constant diameter portion process while replenishing the raw material by inserting the raw material rod.

The manufacturing method will be described of KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal by the temperature gradient solidification method. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the crystal manufacturing apparatus according to Example 6. The crystal manufacturing apparatus has a vertical tubular furnace 35 whose temperature can be controlled by a heater 34, and a crucible 31 is installed on a crucible base 32 in the vertical tubular furnace 35. A seed crystal 37 is placed at the bottom of the crucible 31 and the charged raw material is heated and dissolved to obtain a raw material solution 38. The vertical tubular furnace 35 is sealed by a furnace body lid 40 and is held by a heat equalizing tube 33 and a heater 34 installed on the inner surface according to a temperature gradient curve determined in advance along the vertical direction. When the raw material solution 38 is cooled by the setting of the heater 34, the crystal that has reached the crystal growth temperature grows into a crystal having the same crystal orientation as the seed crystal 37, and the increased diameter portion growth process and the constant diameter portion growth process are performed. After that, it becomes a grown crystal 39.

  The crystal manufacturing apparatus includes a raw material bar elevating device 44 that can raise and lower a raw material bar 41 having the same composition as the crystal grown from the raw material solution 38 via a raw material bar elevating shaft 42, and the growth amount of the grown crystal 19. As parameters for calculation, a solution surface position detector 43 that measures the height of the liquid surface of the raw material solution 38, and a raw material supply control connected to the solution surface position detector 43 as an input and the raw material rod lifting device 44 as an output. Device 45.

The KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ solute raw material is weighed so that the raw materials K ₂ CO ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ and Nb ₂ O ₅ have a desired composition ratio, and filled in the crucible 31. A crucible 31 is selected in which K is selected as the solvent and excess K ₂ CO ₃ is also added. A seed crystal 37 is installed on the bottom of the crucible 31. KTa _x a Nb _1-x O ₃ crucible 31 solute material and excess K is turned on, is placed on the crucible base 32 installed on a vertical tube furnace 35. By heating the heater 34, the raw material is heated and dissolved to prepare a raw material solution 38. Crystal growth is started by gradually cooling the heater 34.

The raw material rod 41 is prepared by mixing raw materials K ₂ CO ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ and Nb ₂ O ₅ and weighing them so as to have the same composition ratio as the crystals grown in the constant diameter part process. Compressed and compressed into a rod shape with a diameter of 2 cm and a length of 50 cm. This is sintered at 1000 ° C. to obtain a raw material rod 41. The filling rate of the raw material rod 41 is preferably close to 100%. After sintering at 1000 ° C., the filling rate can be increased by repeating the steps of pulverization, pressure compression, and re-sintering.

  With the setting of the heater 34, the raw material solution 38 in the crucible 31 has a temperature distribution in which the upper temperature is high and the lower temperature is low in the vertical direction. In the seeding process, the temperature of the raw material solution 38 is adjusted to realize a temperature at which the seed crystal 37 does not dissolve and crystal growth does not occur. Thereafter, the raw material solution 38 is cooled by adjusting the heating amount. By this cooling, the raw material solution 38 becomes supersaturated, crystals begin to precipitate at the tip of the seed crystal 37 having the lowest temperature in the raw material solution 38, and crystal growth starts. Thereafter, by continuing cooling of the raw material solution 38 by adjusting the heating amount, the diameter of the growth crystal 39 increases, and a shoulder expanding step of the growth crystal 39 is performed in the crucible 31.

  When the diameter of the grown crystal 39 reaches a desired diameter, the heating amount is made constant and the raw material rod 41 is brought into contact with the raw material solution 38 at the same time. Thereafter, a constant diameter portion process with a constant crystal diameter is performed in the crucible 31. As the crystal grows, the height of the liquid surface of the raw material solution 38 is measured by the solution surface position detector 43, and the raw material supply controller 45 obtains the amount of crystal growth per unit time. This is because the density of the growth crystal 39 is higher than the density of the solution raw material 38, so that the height of the liquid surface of the raw material solution 38 becomes lower as the growth crystal 39 grows. The raw material supply control device 45 calculates the length per unit time for melting the raw material rod so as to be the same amount as this crystal growth amount, and transmits it to the raw material rod lifting device 44. The raw material rod lifting device 44 lowers the raw material rod 41 fixed to the tip of the raw material rod lifting shaft 42 by a length per unit time for melting the raw material rod. The temperature of the raw material solution at the portion where the raw material rod 41 is inserted is set to 100 ° C. higher than the seed crystal 37 or the temperature of the raw material solution by the above-described vertical temperature distribution. Due to this temperature difference, the raw material rod 41 is melted, and the growth crystal 39 maintains its growth. By repeating the above operation during the constant diameter portion process, the raw material corresponding to the crystal growth amount is replenished.

When the growth crystal 39 has grown to a desired size, the crystal growth is stopped. After crystal growth, the heating amount of the heater 34 is lowered, and the vertical tubular furnace 35 is cooled to room temperature. In the grown crystal 39, no defects are observed due to changes in the growth conditions. In visual observation, the color tone intervening uniform and defect nor observed KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ single crystal was obtained.

The crystal was cut along the pulling direction and polished to prepare a wafer. When the composition of the produced wafer was analyzed by chemical analysis, the composition x of the grown crystal 39 grown in the constant diameter portion process was constant with respect to the growth direction. When the constant diameter portion is grown by cooling without inserting the raw material rod, the composition x of the grown crystal grown in the constant diameter portion process grows because KTa _x Nb _1-x O ₃ is a solid solution. Decreases as On the other hand, the composition of the raw material solution can be kept constant according to the growth amount of the grown crystal by performing the constant diameter portion process while replenishing the raw material by inserting the raw material rod.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the crystal manufacturing apparatus by the conventional TSSG method. It is a figure which shows the structure of the crystal manufacturing apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the temperature distribution of the raw material solution in a crucible. It is a figure which shows the structure of the crystal manufacturing apparatus concerning Example 6. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1,11,31 crucible 2,12,32 crucible stand 3,13,33 soaking tube 4,14,34 heater 5,15,35 vertical tubular furnace 6,16 pulling shaft 7,17,37 seed crystal 8,18 , 38 Raw material solution 9, 19, 39 Grown crystal 10, 20, 40 Furnace lid 21, 41 Raw material rod 22, 42 Raw material rod lifting shaft 23 Weight detector 24, 44 Raw material rod lifting device 25, 45 Raw material supply control device 43 Solution surface position detector

Claims (7)

In a crystal growth method in which seed crystals are immersed in a raw material solution in a crucible installed in a furnace to grow crystals,
Simultaneously contacting the seed crystal with the raw material solution,
A raw material rod having the same composition as that of the grown crystal is brought into contact with the raw material solution, and the thermal contact state between the raw material rod and the raw material solution is maintained, and per unit time corresponding to the growth amount of the grown crystal per unit time. A crystal growth method characterized by supplying a raw material dissolved from the raw material rod to the raw material solution at a supply amount of   The temperature of the portion where the raw material rod is in contact with the raw material solution is maintained higher than the temperature of the portion where the seed crystal or the growth crystal is in contact with the raw material solution. The crystal growth method described in 1.   The temperature difference between the temperature of the portion where the raw material rod is in contact with the raw material solution and the temperature of the portion where the seed crystal or the growth crystal is in contact with the raw material solution is within 5 to 100 ° C. The crystal growth method according to claim 2, wherein the temperature distribution of the liquid surface of the raw material solution is maintained.   4. The crystal growth method according to claim 1, wherein the raw material bar is prepared by weighing and mixing raw materials so as to have the same composition as that of the grown crystal and pressurizing and compressing the raw materials. .   The component of the crystal is composed of a group Ia and a Va group in the periodic table, wherein the group Ia includes at least one of potassium and lithium, and the group Va includes at least one of niobium and tantalum. The crystal growth method according to claim 1.   The component of the crystal is composed of a periodic table Ia group and a Va group, the group Ia is potassium, the Va group includes at least one of niobium and tantalum, and the periodic table Ia, IIa group as an additive impurity. The crystal growth method according to claim 1, comprising one or more of the following. In a crystal growth apparatus for growing a crystal by immersing a seed crystal in a raw material solution in a crucible installed in a furnace,
Detection means for detecting a parameter for calculating the growth amount of the grown crystal;
Raw material rod lifting means for inserting a raw material rod having the same composition as the grown crystal into the raw material solution;
The raw material dissolved from the raw material rod is supplied to the raw material solution at a supply amount per unit time corresponding to the growth amount of the grown crystal per unit time obtained from the parameter detected by the detection means. A crystal growth apparatus comprising: a raw material supply control means for controlling the raw material bar elevating means.

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