Multi-crystalline silicon solidification under controlled forced convection

Abstract Multi-crystalline silicon wafers have a lower production cost compared to mono-crystalline wafers. This comes at the price of reduced quality in terms of electrical properties and as a result the solar cells made from such materials have a reduced efficiency. The presence of different impurities in the bulk material plays an important role during the solidification process. The impurities are related to different defects (dislocations, grain boundaries) encountered in multi-crystalline wafers. Applying an alternative magnetic field during the solidification process has various benefits. Impurities concentration in the final ingot could be reduced, especially metallic species, due to a convective term added in the liquid that reduces the concentration of impurities in the solute boundary layer. Another aspect is the solidification interface shape that is influenced by the electromagnetic stirring. A vertical Bridgman type furnace was used in order to study the solidification process of Si under the influence of a travelling magnetic field able to induce a convective flow in the liquid. The furnace was equipped with a Bitter type three-phase electromagnet that provides the required magnetic field. A numerical model of the furnace was developed in ANSYS Fluent commercial software. This paper presents experimental and numerical results of this approach, where interface markings were performed.