A method developed by the [Polish] scientist Jan Czochralski for producing a large single crystalline [boule]. This is one of the dominant techniques for the preparation of [silicon] boules, which are used to make wafers, the [substrate | substrates] for [semiconductor] [circuit | circuitry].

Key Principles

A slowly rotating [seed] [crystal] is placed into a bath of ultra-pure molten silicon that has been heated in a special [furnace] to about 1500°C. It is then slowly withdrawn from the melt. The entire process takes place under a blanket of inert gas, usually [argon].

Recent Changes

New microfabrication facilities use modified methods of this method to produce wider boules. They can be as large as 200mm in diameter and 2 meters long. The wider wafers that can be cut from these larger boules are less expensive to process. The process can also be used to produce [aluminum oxide] "ruby" wafers.

Single Crystals

In [theory] the surface of a single crystal can be extremely smooth. The surface that supports microelectronics must be very smooth and additionally it must have perfectly homogeneous electrical properties. A grain boundary that runs between two lines on a circuit could produce a short, or act as the dielectric layer in an unwanted capacitor.

Czochralski method (thing)