Abstract: Silicon particles with a reduced and/or delayed propensity to generate hydrogen gas by reaction with water in aqueous inks for preparing lithium ion battery anodes are prepared by milling silicon, preferably in an oxidative atmosphere, followed by heat treating at an elevated temperature in vacuum or an inert atmosphere.

Abstract: A method for efficiently producing polysilicon is realized. The present invention is an invention of a method for producing polysilicon by the Siemens process, a chemical reactor being connected to a waste gas processing facility via a blocking valve provided to a waste gas pipe, the blocking valve being provided in a vicinity of a waste gas outlet of the chemical reactor, the method including the step of cooling a waste gas between the waste gas outlet of the chemical reactor and the blocking valve, with use of a cooler of an indirect cooling type.

Abstract: Systems, methods and compositions to produce fine powders are described. These include forming a hypereutectic melt including a target material, a sacrificial-matrix material, and an impurity, rapidly cooling the hypereutectic melt to form a hypereutectic alloy having a first phase and a second phase, annealing the hypereutectic alloy to alter a morphology of the target material to thereby produce target particles, and removing the sacrificial matrix to thereby produce a fine powder of the target particles. The first phase is defined by the target material and the second phase is defined by the sacrificial-matrix material. The sacrificial-matrix material forms a sacrificial matrix having the target material dispersed therethrough.

Abstract: Generally unusable or difficultly useable dusts of ultrahigh purity silicon can be used to produce chlorosilanes under reasonable reaction conditions by employing a catalyst containing one or more of Co, Mo, W. The process may be incorporated into an integral plant for the production of polycrystalline silicon.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing polycrystalline silicon at a lighter environmental load and at low production cost. A method in accordance with the present invention for producing polycrystalline silicon includes: a silicon deposition step; a separation step; a hydrogen chloride removal step; a hydrogen refining step; an activated carbon regeneration step; and a circulation step.

Abstract: The present invention comprises directionally solidified multicrystalline silicon ingots, a silicon masteralloy for increasing the efficiency of solar cells made from wafers cut from the silicon ingots, method for increasing the yield when producing multicrystalline silicon ingots from a silicon melt by directional solidification. Further the present invention comprises a method for preparing said silicon masteralloy.

Abstract: A honeycomb structure includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a porous partition wall. The honeycomb structure body includes a plurality of cells defined by the partition wall so as to extend from a first end face to a second end face of the honeycomb structure body, the partition wall is formed by a porous body including a silicon phase as a main phase and an oxide, and the oxide includes a first oxide made of an alkali earth metal oxide, Al2O3, and SiO2.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides for silicon nanoparticles, safety devices, solid propellants, and the like.

Abstract: Processes for producing polycrystalline silicon by thermal decomposition of silane are disclosed. The processes generally involve thermal decomposition of silane in a fluidized bed reactor operated at reaction conditions that result in a high rate of productivity relative to conventional production processes.

Abstract: Processes for producing polycrystalline silicon by thermal decomposition of silane are disclosed. The processes generally involve thermal decomposition of silane in a fluidized bed reactor operated at reaction conditions that result in a high rate of productivity relative to conventional production processes.

Abstract: A wafer defect analysis method according to one embodiment comprises the steps of: thermally treating a wafer at different temperatures; measuring an oxygen precipitate index of the thermally treated wafer; determining a characteristic temperature at which the oxygen precipitate index is maximized; and discriminating a type of defect region of the wafer depending on the determined characteristic temperature.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preparing polycrystalline silicon ingot. The preparation method comprises: coating inner wall of the crucible with a layer of silicon nitride, followed by laying a layer of crushed silicon and feeding silicon in the crucible; the crushed silicon is laid in random order, and the layer of crushed silicon forms a supporting structure having numerous holes; melting the silicon to form molten silicon by heating, when solid-liquid interface reach the surface of the layer of crushed silicon or when the layer of crushed silicon melt partially, regulating thermal field to achieve supercooled state to grow crystals; after the crystallization of molten silicon is completely finished, performing annealing and cooling to obtain polycrystalline silicon ingot. By adopting the preparation method, a desirable initial nucleus can be obtained for a polycrystalline silicon ingot, so as to reduce dislocation multiplication during the growth of the polycrystalline silicon ingot.

Abstract: A method for producing an epitaxial silicon wafer, including a preliminary thermal treatment step of subjecting a silicon wafer to thermal treatment for increasing a density of oxygen precipitates, the silicon wafer being one that has an oxygen concentration in a range of 9×1017 atoms/cm3 to 16×1017 atoms/cm3, contains no dislocation cluster and no COP, and contains an oxygen precipitation suppression region, and an epitaxial layer forming step of forming an epitaxial layer on a surface of the silicon wafer after the preliminary thermal treatment step. The production method further includes a thermal treatment condition determining step of determining a thermal treatment condition in the preliminary thermal treatment step, based on a ratio of the oxygen precipitation suppression region of the silicon wafer before the preliminary thermal treatment step is carried out.

Abstract: This method for manufacturing a silicon wafer includes: a first heat treatment step of performing RTP treatment on the silicon wafer in an oxidizing atmosphere; a step of removing a region in the silicon wafer in which an oxygen concentration increases in the first heat treatment step; a second heat treatment step of performing, after performing this removing step, RTP treatment on the silicon wafer in a nitriding atmosphere or an Ar atmosphere; and a step of removing, after performing the second heat treatment step, a region in the silicon wafer in which an oxygen concentration decreases in the second heat treatment step. This method enables the manufacture of a silicon wafer in which latent defects such as OSF nuclei and oxygen precipitate nuclei existing in a PV region are destroyed or reduced, and that has a gettering site.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a monolithic silicon wafer (10) comprising multiple vertical junctions (2) having an alternation of n-doped areas and p-doped areas, including at least the steps of: (i) providing a liquid bath (100) including silicon, at least one n-type doping agent and at least one p-type doping agent; (ii) proceeding to directionally solidify the silicon in a direction (I), varying the convection-diffusion parameters thereof in order to alternate the growth of n-doped silicon layers (101) and p-doped silicon layers (102); and (iii) cutting a slice (104), parallel to the direction (I), of the multi-layer structure obtained at the end of the step (ii), such as to obtain said expected wafer (10).

Abstract: The present disclosure provides devices and systems that utilize concurrent and countercurrent exchange platforms to produce purified silicon.

Abstract: Embodiments provide a battery cell including a porous membrane, the porous membrane including transformed semiconductor material. The porous membrane separates a first half-cell from a second half-cell of the battery cell. The porous membrane comprises channels allowing ions and/or an electrolyte to move between the first half-cell and the second half-cell.

Abstract: Cover flux devices and methods are shown. Methods and devices are shown such that, as a solidification front moves from a cooling surface of a mold towards a surface of molten silicon substantially opposite the cooling surface, impurities are driven out of the solid silicon and into the liquid to react with a flux layer on the silicon.

Abstract: An apparatus to purify a melt is disclosed. A first portion of a melt in a chamber is frozen in a first direction. A fraction of the first portion is melted in the first direction. A second portion of the melt remains frozen. The melt flows from the chamber and the second portion is removed from the chamber. The freezing concentrates solutes in the melt and second portion. The second portion may be a slug with a high solute concentration. This system may be incorporated into a sheet forming apparatus with other components such as, for example, pumps, filters, or particle traps.

Abstract: Disclosed is a preparation method of a polycrystalline silicon ingot. The preparation method comprises: providing a silicon nucleation layer at the bottom of a crucible, and filling a silicon material above the silicon nucleation layer; heating the silicon material to melt same, adjusting the thermal field inside the crucible to make the melted silicon material to start crystallization on the basis of the silicon nucleation layer; and when the crystallization is finished, performing annealing and cooling to obtain a polycrystalline silicon ingot. By adopting the preparation method, a desirable initial nucleus can be obtained for a polycrystalline silicon ingot, so as to reduce dislocation multiplication during the growth of the polycrystalline silicon ingot. Further disclosed are a polycrystalline silicon ingot obtained through the preparation method and a polycrystalline silicon wafer made using the polycrystalline silicon ingot as a raw material.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a catalytic reaction to produce acetone, a catalyst that include a mixture of silicon particles (e.g., about 1 to 20 nm in diameter) and a solvent, and the like.

Abstract: An apparatus and process are provided for controlling the heating and melting of a material that is non-electrically conductive in the solid state and is electrically conductive in the non-solid state. Power is selectively directed between coil sections surrounding different zones of the material in a susceptor vessel by changing the output frequency of the power supply to the coil sections. Coil sections are at least one active coil section, which is connected to the output of the power supply, and at least one passive coil section, which is not connected to the power supply, but is connected in parallel with a tuning capacitor so that the at least one passive coil section can be selectively operated at, or near, resonant frequency when the transition material in the vessel is molten.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polycrystalline silicon chunks which are cubic and have a metal content of less than 200 pptw and a dopant content of less than 50 ppta. Methods for producing polycrystalline silicon chunks, include the steps of providing a polycrystalline silicon rod, comminuting the polycrystalline silicon rod into cubic chunks, and cleaning the polycrystalline silicon chunks, wherein comminution takes place using a spiked-roll crusher having at least one spiked roll, the spiked roll including W2C phases or WC phases with 0.1-10% of a metal carbide selected from the group consisting of titanium carbide, chromium carbide, molybdenum carbide, vanadium carbide, and nickel carbide or consisting of steel with 1-25% W.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a process for purifying silicon by removing one or both of phosphorus and boron.

Abstract: Rod-type, polycrystalline silicon having a rod diameter of >100 mm are obtained by deposition of silicon-containing gas according to the Siemens method, wherein the Si rods are brought into contact with hydrogen at the end of the deposition process during cooling in the reactor, and the cooled Si rods obtained have in perpendicular cross section cracks and/or radial stresses having a defined size.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods for forming a high-k gate dielectric, the methods comprising the steps of providing a semiconductor substrate, cleaning the substrate, performing a thermal treatment, and performing a high-k dielectric material deposition, wherein said thermal treatment step is performed in a non-oxidizing ambient, leading to the formation of a thin interfacial layer between said semiconductor substrate and said high-k dielectric material and wherein the thickness of said thin interfacial layer is less than 10 ?.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a direct method to convert fine and ultra fine silicon powder from polysilicon manufacturing sources such as fluid bed and free space reactors into densified granular forms. This conversion process is effected by the use of lasers of selective wavelengths from solid state diode or optically-pumped YAG sources to locally heat, melt and densify a controlled quantity of silicon powder, and comprises the steps of distributing dry silicon powder on an inert substrate, subjecting the silicon charge to a focused laser beam to realize melted and densified granular forms, and discharging the product. When adapted to high purity silicon powder, the end use for the densified silicon granular forms is primarily as feedstock for silicon-based semiconductor and photovoltaic manufacturing industries. The process, suitably modified, is adaptable to form other silicon body shapes and components.

Abstract: The single crystal silicon ingot and wafer of one embodiment has a transition region formed therein which predominantly has crystal defects of 10 nm to 30 nm in size from among crystal defects included in at least one region of a vacancy predominant non-defective region and an interstitial predominant non-defective region.

Abstract: A system for preparing nanoparticles is described. The system can include a reactor for producing a nanoparticle aerosol comprising nanoparticles in a gas. The system also includes a diffusion pump that has a chamber with an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of the chamber is in fluid communication with an outlet of the reactor. The diffusion pump also includes a reservoir in fluid communication with the chamber for supporting a diffusion pump fluid and a heater for vaporizing the diffusion pump fluid in the reservoir to a vapor. In addition, the diffusion pump has a jet assembly in fluid communication with the reservoir having a nozzle for discharging the vaporized diffusion pump fluid into the chamber. The system can further include a vacuum pump in fluid communication with the outlet of the chamber. A method of preparing nanoparticles is also provided.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an apparatus for manufacturing a single crystal silicon ingot having a dual crucible for silicon melting which can be reused due to a dual crucible structure. The apparatus includes a dual crucible for silicon melting, into which raw silicon is charged, a crucible heater heating the dual crucible to melt the raw silicon into molten silicon, a crucible drive unit controlling rotation and elevation of the dual crucible, and a pull-up drive unit disposed above the dual crucible and pulling up a seed crystal dipped in the molten silicon to produce a silicon ingot. The dual crucible has a container shape open at an upper side thereof, and includes a graphite crucible having an inclined surface connecting an inner bottom and an inner wall, and a quartz crucible inserted into the graphite crucible and receiving the raw silicon charged into the dual crucible.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention describe nanoporous silicon (Si) network thin films with controllable porosity and thickness that are fabricated by a robust and scalable electrochemical process, and then released from Si wafers and transferred to flexible and conductive substrates. These nanoporous Si network thin films serve as high performance Li-ion battery electrodes, with an initial discharge capacity of 2570 mA h g?1, above 1000 mA h g?1 after 200 cycles without any electrolyte additives.

Abstract: A hydrogen-free amorphous dielectric insulating film having a high material density and a low density of tunneling states is provided. The film is prepared by e-beam deposition of a dielectric material on a substrate having a high substrate temperature Tsub under high vacuum and at a low deposition rate. In an exemplary embodiment, the film is amorphous silicon having a density greater than about 2.18 g/cm3 and a hydrogen content of less than about 0.1%, prepared by e-beam deposition at a rate of about 0.1 nm/sec on a substrate having Tsub=400° C. under a vacuum pressure of 1×10?8 Torr.

Abstract: Silicon wafers having an oxygen concentration of 5·1017 to 7.5·1017 cm?3 have the following BMD densities after the following thermal processes, carried out alternatively: a BMD density of at most 1·108 cm?3 after a treatment for three hours at 780° C. and subsequently for 16 hours at 1000° C., and a BMD density of at least 1·109 cm?3 after heating of the silicon wafer at a heating rate of 1 K/min from a start temperature of 500° C. to a target temperature of 1000° C. and subsequent holding at 1000° C. for 16 hours. The wafers are prepared by a method of irradiation of a heated wafer with flashlamp which delivers energy which is from 50 to 100% of the energy density necessary for melting the wafer surface.

Abstract: Anode active materials, anodes, and batteries are provided. In one embodiment, an anode active material includes particles consisting essentially of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon and an alloy of silicon. An average degree of circularity of the particles is 90% or less.

Abstract: A method of producing a crystalline product comprising a high percentage by volume monocrystalline material in a crystal growth apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing a crucible comprising feedstock and at least one monocrystalline seed, melting the feedstock without substantially melting the monocrystalline seed under controlled conditions, and forming the crystalline product by solidification of the melt also under controlled conditions. The resulting crystalline product comprises greater than 50% by volume monocrystalline material.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing silicon flakes includes steps as follows. A silicon material is contacted with a machining tool which includes at least one abrasive particle fixedly disposed thereon. The silicon material is scraped along a displacement path with respect to the machining tool to generate the silicon flakes having various particle sizes.

Abstract: There is provided a hydrogen chrolide gas ejecting nozzle 1 used in a reaction apparatus for producing trichlorosilane in which metal silicon powder is reacted with hydrogen chloride gas to generate trichlorosilane. The member is provided with a shaft portion extending in the longitudinal direction and a head portion that is provided on an end of the shaft portion and extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion. A supply hole extending in the longitudinal direction is formed in the shaft portion, a plurality of ejection holes are formed in the head portion, and each of the ejection holes is communicatively connected to the supply hole and opened on the outer surface of the head portion toward a direction intersecting the direction to which the supply hole extends.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed at an electrode and methods for forming such electrode for a battery wherein the electrode comprises silicon clathrate. The silicon clathrate may include silicon clathrate Si46 containing an arrangement of 20-atom and 24-atom cages fused together through 5 atom pentagonal rings and/or silicon clathrate Si34 containing an arrangement of 20-atom and 28-atom cages fused together through 5 atom pentagonal rings. The silicon clathrate may be present as particles having a largest linear dimension in the range of 0.1 ?m to 100.0 ?m.

Abstract: Disclosed is a preparation method of a polycrystalline silicon ingot. The preparation method comprises: providing a silicon nucleation layer at the bottom of a crucible, and filling a silicon material above the silicon nucleation layer; heating the silicon material to melt same, adjusting the thermal field inside the crucible to make the melted silicon material to start crystallization on the basis of the silicon nucleation layer; and when the crystallization is finished, performing annealing and cooling to obtain a polycrystalline silicon ingot. By adopting the preparation method, a desirable initial nucleus can be obtained for a polycrystalline silicon ingot, so as to reduce dislocation multiplication during the growth of the polycrystalline silicon ingot. Further disclosed are a polycrystalline silicon ingot obtained through the preparation method and a polycrystalline silicon wafer made using the polycrystalline silicon ingot as a raw material.

Abstract: A polishing composition is composed of a filtered diluted liquid obtained through an undiluted liquid-preparing step, an undiluted liquid-filtering step, a diluting step, and a diluted liquid-filtering step. In the undiluted liquid-preparing step, an undiluted liquid is prepared by mixing raw materials for the polishing composition. In the undiluted liquid-filtering step, the undiluted liquid is filtered. In the diluting step, the filtered undiluted liquid is diluted to obtain a diluted liquid. In the diluted liquid-filtering step, the diluted liquid is filtered. The polishing composition is used, for example, for polishing a silicon substrate material to produce a silicon substrate.

Abstract: When a plate-like sample 20 extracted from a polycrystalline rod is evaluated, peaks can appear in a ?-scanning chart. The smaller the number of such peaks, and the narrower the half-value width of the peak, the more suitable the polycrystalline silicon rod is as a raw material for producing single-crystal silicon. It is preferable that the number of peaks in the ?-scanning chart is, for both the Miller index planes <111> and <220>, equal to or smaller than 24/cm2 when converted into unit per area of the plate-like sample. It is also preferable that the value obtained by multiplying the peak half-value width by ?L=21/2?R0/360, where R0 is the radius of the sample, is defined as an inhomogeneous crystal grain size, and that a polycrystalline silicon rod of which all the inhomogeneous crystal grain sizes are smaller than 0.5 mm is selected as a raw material for producing single-crystal silicon.

Abstract: A method of etching silicon of a material comprising silicon, the method comprising the steps of partially covering a silicon surface of the material comprising silicon with an elemental metal and then carrying out a metal-assisted chemical etching of the silicon by exposing the partially covered silicon surface to an etching composition, wherein at least some of the elemental metal for the metal-assisted chemical etching is formed by either: (a) exposing the silicon surface to a composition comprising metal ions, wherein the elemental metal forms by reduction of the metal ions and wherein the composition comprising metal ions is substantially free of HF, or (b) depositing the elemental metal directly onto the silicon surface.

Abstract: Production of polycrystalline silicon in substantially closed-loop processes and systems is disclosed. The processes and systems generally involve disproportionation of trichlorosilane to produce silane or dichlorosilane and thermal decomposition of silane or dichlorosilane to produce polycrystalline silicon.

Abstract: A method and system of igniting one or more filaments for silicon production includes applying an output voltage to the one or more filaments using a transformer connected with the one or more filaments. In addition, the method includes supplying, in combination with the application of the output voltage, a current to a primary winding of the transformer via a choke to limit the current to a first predetermined current threshold range. The combination of the supplied current and applied output voltage allows a predetermined output range to be generated from a power supply device initially required to ignite the one or more filaments.

Abstract: The invention provides a new apparatus (20) and method for producing entirely new types of nanoparticles exhibiting novel properties. The apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber (22) containing a gas and feed means (1) for feeding a liquid jet (26) into the chamber and through the gas. The invention extends to the new types of nanoparticles per se, and to uses of such nanoparticles in various biomedical applications, such as in therapy and diagnosis, as well as in opto-electronics.

Abstract: The invention relates to a polycrystalline silicon portion having at least one fracture surface or cut surface, which includes metal contamination of from 0.07 ng/cm2 to 1 ng/cm2. The invention also relates to a method for breaking a silicon body, preferably a rod of polycrystalline silicon, including the steps: a) determining the lowest natural bending frequency of the silicon body; b) exciting the silicon body in its lowest natural bending frequency by means of an oscillation generator, the excitation being carried out at an excitation point of the silicon body such that the silicon body breaks at the excitation point; so that a silicon portion having a fracture surface results which includes metal contamination of from 0.07 ng/cm2 to 1 ng/cm2.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for producing polycrystalline silicon, by introducing reaction gases containing a silicon-containing component and hydrogen into reactors to deposit silicon, wherein a purified condensate from a first deposition process in a first reactor is supplied to a second reactor, and is used in a second deposition process in that second reactor.

Abstract: A silicon single crystal manufacturing method includes: applying a transverse magnetic field to a melt of polysilicon with a carbon concentration of at most 1.0×1015 atoms/cm3 as a raw material; rotating the crucible at 5.0 rpm or less; allowing inert gas to flow at rate A (m/sec) of formula (1) at a position 20-50% of Y above the melt surface; controlling the rate A within the range of 0.2 to 5,000/d (m/sec) (d: crystal diameter (mm)); and reducing the total power of side and bottom heaters by 3 to 30% and the side heater power by 5 to 45% until the solidified fraction reaches 30%.

Abstract: Methods for producing muticrystalline silicon ingots by use of a Czochralski-type crystal puller and pulling assemblies that include a plurality of seed crystals for pulling multicrystalline silicon ingots.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing high purity silicon comprising providing molten silicon containing 1-10% by weight of calcium, casting the molten silicon, crushing the silicon and subjecting the crushed silicon to a first leaching step in an aqueous solution of HCl and/or HCl+FeCl3 and to a second leaching step in an aqueous solution of HF and HNO3. The leached silicon particles is thereafter subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of between 1250° C. and 1420° C. for a period of at least 20 minutes and the heat treated silicon is subjected to a third leaching step in an aqueous solution of HF and HNO3.