Patent · US Expired

Rotating head for crystal pulling systems

US5702523A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
3References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 31, 1994
Grant dateDec 30, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 31, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T117/1072
  • WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A rotating head (11) for crystal pulling systems (1) according to Czochralski has a reference platform (16) which is able to rotate around a vertical rotation axis (A--A) with a vertical feed-through opening (25) for a pulling cable (13) that can be wound up and a drive assembly (23) for driving a horizontal shaft (22). A winding drum (15) with a helical winding groove (29) for the pulling cable is located on this shaft in a fixed manner so it cannot rotate, but can be moved axially. In order to avoid abrasion and contamination and to accurately guide the cable (13), a helical guiding element (30) with the same pitch as the winding groove is located on the horizontal shaft (22) at a location remote from the vertical rotation axis (A--A). This guiding element is able to rotate with the horizontal shaft. The guiding element works together with a guiding nut (31) in such a way that the part of the cable (13) which faces tangentially away from the winding drum (15) is directly guided in the vertical rotation axis (A--A). Here, the helical guiding element (30) is designed as a guiding groove and the guiding nut (31) cooperates with the guiding groove by means of rotating balls (32).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.