Research is in the area of materials engineering and manufacturing processes aimed at acquiring in-depth knowledge of basic physical phenomena in Czochralski (CZ) crystal growth equipment processes, major scientific and engineering considerations in computer-aided design and manufacturing of an automated "one button control" puller, cost consideration, and United States competitiveness in world market for CZ crystal puller. Preliminary research will be performed on continuously-charged Czochralski (CCZ) growth of silicon single crystals. The CCZ process is expected to produce crystals of uniform properties, better quality and lesser costs. The research on CCZ process will include theoretical work in order to make modifications in the conventional CZ crystal puller for experiments, and develop a basic understanding of flow and temperature fields in the melt. Experiments to obtain data on crucible size, melt height, power requirement, growth and feed rates, appropriate location for addition of silicon charge and several other parameters which help in developing a commercial unit will be investigated.
