Abstract
From heat‐balance considerations at the growing interface and an assumption of predominantly radiative heat loss from the surface, an expression for the maximum growth rate of melt‐grown ribbon‐shaped crystals has been derived. For a given material and a large width‐to‐thickness ratio W/t, the maximum growth rate varies as t−1/2 and is independent of W. A comparison of the maximum cylindrical and ribbon growth rates is made for the silicon system. Some representative values at 7.5 cm diameter or width are 45 cm/h or 2000 cm3/h, for a cylindrical Czochralski‐grown crystal and 625 cm/h or 95 cm3/h for a 0.02‐cm‐thick ribbon.