Boule (crystal)

From Freepedia

Image:Monokristalines Silizium für die Waferherstellung.jpg A boule is a term used to describe a single crystal ingot produced by synthetic means.

In the semiconductor industry they can be made by a number of methods, such as the Bridgeman technique, or Czochralski process. A long, usually circular rod is produced. A semiconductor crystal boule is normally cut into wafers and polished to give substrates suitable for semiconductor devices to be fabricated on.