Merete Tangstad

Vacuum Refining of Molten Silicon

Metallurgical fundamentals for vacuum refining of molten silicon and the behavior of different impurities in this process are studied. A novel mass transfer model for the removal of volatile impurities from silicon in vacuum induction refining is developed. The boundary conditions for vacuum refining system—the equilibrium partial pressures of the dissolved elements and their actual partial pressures under vacuum—are determined through thermodynamic and kinetic approaches. It is indicated that the vacuum removal kinetics of the impurities is different, and it is controlled by one, two, or all the three subsequent reaction mechanisms—mass transfer in a melt boundary layer, chemical evaporation on the melt surface, and mass transfer in the gas phase. Vacuum refining experimental results of this study and literature data are used to study the model validation. The model provides reliable results and shows correlation with the experimental data for many volatile elements. Kinetics of phosphorus removal, which is an important impurity in the production of solar grade silicon, is properly predicted by the model, and it is observed that phosphorus elimination from silicon is significantly increased with increasing process temperature.

Wetting of pure aluminium on graphite, SiC and Al2O3 in aluminium filtration

Abstract The wettability of pure aluminium on filter materials and on inclusions is believed to be an important factor affecting the filtration of aluminium. The contact angles of molten aluminium on alumina, SiC and graphite were measured under 10−8 bar high vacuum in the temperature range of 1000–1300 °C. To describe the wetting behaviour of the Al on ceramic at lower temperatures used in filtration and casting aluminium, a semi-empirical calculation was employed. The calculated contact angles at 700 °C were around 97° for alumina, 92° for vitreous graphite, 126° for single- and poly-crystal graphite, and 79° for single crystal SiC, respectively. This indicates that aluminium does not wet alumina or graphite (or Al4C3) around the casting temperature, but wets SiC at this temperature. Thus a priming height is required for aluminium to infiltrate an alumina filter. Increasing temperature can also improve the wettability of Al on ceramic.

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Behavior of B and Na Through the Contact of B-Doped Silicon with Na2O-SiO2 Slags

Boron (B) is the most problematic impurity to be removed in the processes applied for the production of solar grade silicon. Boron removal from liquid silicon by sodium-silicate slags is experimentally studied and it is indicated that B can be rapidly removed within short reaction times. The B removal rate is higher at higher temperatures and higher Na2O concentrations in the slag. Based on the experimental results and thermodynamic calculations, it is proposed that B removal from silicon phase takes place through its oxidation at the slag/Si interfacial area by Na2O and that the oxidized B is further gasified from the slag through the formation of sodium metaborate (Na2B2O4) at the slag/gas interfacial area. The overall rate of B removal is mainly controlled by these two chemical reactions. However, it is further proposed that the B removal rate from silicon depends on the mass transport of Na in the system. Sodium is transferred from slag to the molten silicon through the silicothermic reduction of Na2O at the slag/Si interface and it simultaneously evaporates at the Si/gas interfacial area. This causes a Na concentration rise in silicon and its further decline after reaching a maximum. A major part of the Na loss from the slag is due to its carbothermic reduction and formation of Na gas.

Removal of Boron from Silicon by Moist Hydrogen Gas

New and cheaper refining methods for production of metallurgical silicon are needed to meet the increasing demands for low-cost, high-quality silicon for the solar cell industry. One promising refining method for boron is moist hydrogen treatment. In this work, an evaporation unit has been used to produce wet hydrogen gas, which subsequently has been sparged on top of silicon melts. The effect of temperature and gas composition on boron removal has been studied. The main results show that boron is removed from liquid silicon and the removal rate is controlled by chemical reaction depending on

Kinetics and Mechanism of Phosphorus Removal from Silicon in Vacuum Induction Refining

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Removal of SiC particles from solar grade silicon melts by imposition of high frequency magnetic field

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Ferrosilicon and Silicon Technology

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