Abstract: This invention aims at providing a silicon electromagnetic casting apparatus for accurate and easy manufacturing of high quality silicon ingots. This apparatus uses a furnace vessel 100, a conductive crucible 200 installed in the internal part of the furnace vessel 100 and an induction coil 300 installed on the outer circumference of the crucible 200. Constant pressure is maintained in the internal part of the furnace vessel 100 using a prescribed gas and the silicon inside the above mentioned crucible 200 is solidified after melting it by induction heating by applying voltage on the induction coil 300. The induction coil 300 is made by placing 2 induction coils 310 and 320 having different induction frequencies one above the other.

Abstract: A device provided with a furnace vessel 100, a water-cooled copper crucible 200 provided inside the furnace vessel 100, and a support rod 300 supporting a silicon electrode S is used. After disposing the silicon electrode S in the water-cooled cooled crucible 200 at predetermined intervals, the furnace vessel 100 is put into a vacuum state, and by applying voltage to the silicon electrode S and the water-cooled copper crucible 200, a current passes through and melts the silicon electrode S. While maintaining the top of the melted silicon S? in a melted state, the melted silicon S? is solidified sequentially from the bottom in the cooled water-cooled copper crucible 200.

Abstract: The present invention aims at providing a silicon electromagnetic casting apparatus which can prevent the outward deflection of a crucible 200 used in the apparatus. This apparatus has a reaction vessel 100, the conductive crucible 200 installed in the reaction vessel 100 and an induction coil 300 installed on the outer circumference of the crucible 200, wherein constant pressure is maintained in the reaction vessel 100 using a prescribed gas and the silicon inside the crucible 200 is solidified after melting it by induction heating by applying voltage on the induction coil 300. In the apparatus, a hard structure 810 made from electrical insulating material is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the crucible 200.

Abstract: This invention aims at providing a silicon electromagnetic casting apparatus for accurate and easy manufacturing of high quality silicon ingots. This apparatus uses a furnace vessel 100, a conductive crucible 200 installed in the internal part of the furnace vessel 100 and an induction coil 300 installed on the outer circumference of the crucible 200. Constant pressure is maintained in the internal part of the furnace vessel 100 using a prescribed gas and the silicon inside the above mentioned crucible 200 is solidified after melting it by induction heating by applying voltage on the induction coil 300. The induction coil 300 is made by placing 2 induction coils 310 and 320 having different induction frequencies one above the other.

Abstract: In growing a single-crystal silicon by the present invention in a Czochralski method, after a surface of a silicon melt is brought into contact with a seed crystal in a crucible, the silicon melt being added with germanium, the single-crystal silicon is pulled while rotated, and the solar-cell single-crystal silicon substrate is sliced from the single-crystal silicon containing germanium, whereby a germanium content of solar-cell single-crystal silicon substrate is set in the range of not less than 0.03 mole % to less than 1.0 mole % when resistivity ranges from 1.4 to 1.9 ?cm. Therefore, conversion efficiency is enhanced when compared with conventional single-crystal silicon substrates. Accordingly, solar cell power generation costs decreases, so that the single-crystal silicon of the present invention can widely be utilized as the substrate for the solar cell in which the high conversion efficiency is increasingly demanded.

Abstract: In melting and casting by a water-cooled crucible induction melting technique, a partition means is inserted on top portion of a melt, and a new raw material for is charged on an upper side of the partition means to continue the melting and casting. Therefore, the continuous casting can be kept while avoiding mixture of the melt on a lower side of with the melt on an upper side of the partition means. A partition plate or a partition plate with legs can be used as the partition means. When the present invention is applied to production of a silicon ingot used for a solar cell and the like, productivity is largely improved, which allows costs to be remarkably reduced in solar energy generation. Therefore, the present invention can widely be utilized as the method for casting a polycrystalline-silicon ingot for a solar cell.

Abstract: An operation method of an electro-magnetic casting apparatus for silicon takes into account: the measurements of the surface temperature of the ingot and the temperature of the heating furnace; the control of the induction frequency for the electro-magnetic casting; the control of the power source output of the heating means based on the measured surface temperature of the solidified silicon; and the control of the induction frequency of induction power source based on the measured induction frequency of the induction coil power source; thus, it becomes possible to secure remarkable safety and productivity in the continuous casting of the silicon ingot, thereby enabling to facilitate the production of a semiconductor polycrystal silicon ingot, which is applied to safety operation widely.

Abstract: In growing a single-crystal silicon by the present invention in a Czochralski method, after a surface of a silicon melt is brought into contact with a seed crystal in a crucible, the silicon melt being added with germanium, the single-crystal silicon is pulled while rotated, and the solar-cell single-crystal silicon substrate is sliced from the single-crystal silicon containing germanium, whereby a germanium content of solar-cell single-crystal silicon substrate is set in the range of not less than 0.1 mole % and less than 1.0 mole %. Desirably the germanium content is set in the range of not less than 0.1 mole % to not more than 0.6 mole %, and the germanium content is set in the range of not less than 0.03 mole % to less than 1.0 mole % when resistivity ranges from 1.4 to 1.9 ?cm. Therefore, conversion efficiency can largely be enhanced compared with the case where the conventional single-crystal silicon substrate is used.

Abstract: In melting and casting by a water-cooled crucible induction melting technique, a partition means is inserted on top portion of a melt, and a new raw material for is charged on an upper side of the partition means to continue the melting and casting. Therefore, the continuous casting can be kept while avoiding mixture of the melt on a lower side of with the melt on an upper side of the partition means. A partition plate or a partition plate with legs can be used as the partition means. When the present invention is applied to production of a silicon ingot used for a solar cell and the like, productivity is largely improved, which allows costs to be remarkably reduced in solar energy generation. Therefore, the present invention can widely be utilized as the method for casting a polycrystalline-silicon ingot for a solar cell.

Abstract: In the conventional cast method, when an element causing large segregation is added to a polycrystalline silicon ingot, a concentration fluctuation becomes large depending on a region, and the yield of a portion having the target composition is low. On the contrary, the present invention enables to make the ingot having the uniform concentration. Particularly, in the case of polycrystalline silicon containing germanium and polycrystalline silicon in which gallium is added as a dopant, when the yield of a crystal having a target composition is low while conversion efficiency is high, cost reduction is not achieved in a solar cell. However, because polycrystalline silicon having the homogenous composition is easily obtained in the present invention, the high-efficiency solar cell can be produced at low costs. Therefore, polycrystalline silicon by the present invention can widely be utilized as solar-cell polycrystalline silicon containing germanium.

Abstract: To restrict to a low level a temperature gradient of an ingot immediately after solidification in a bottomless crucible in a electromagnetic induction casting method using an electrically conductive bottomless crucible. An upper section and a lower section of an electrically conductive bottomless crucible to be disposed inside an induction coil are configured as a water-cooled section and a non-water-cooled section. Both the water-cooled section and the non-water-cooled section are divided by vertical slits into a plurality of portions in a circumferential direction. Rapid cooling with water in the lower section of the crucible is restricted.

Abstract: To restrict to a low level a temperature gradient of an ingot immediately after solidification in a bottomless crucible in a electromagnetic induction casting method using an electrically conductive bottomless crucible. An upper section and a lower section of an electrically conductive bottomless crucible to be disposed inside an induction coil are configured as a water-cooled section and a non-water-cooled section. Both the water-cooled section and the non-water-cooled section are divided by vertical slits into a plurality of portions in a circumferential direction. Rapid cooling with water in the lower section of the crucible is restricted.

Abstract: A process for producing high-purity silicon for solar cells continuously directly from inexpensive silicon containing a comparatively large amount of impurities. This process comprises melting continuously supplied raw material silicon in a bottomless crucible placed in an induction coil, while blowing a hot plasma gas incorporated with an oxygen-containing substance on the surface of the melt for purification, and continuously discharging the solidified silicon downward from said bottomless crucible, with at least an axial part of said bottomless crucible being divided into a plurality of electrically conductive pieces spaced circumferentially.

Abstract: A single crystal silicon is prepared by constructing a silicon melt reservoir of an induction coil coated on its internal surface with a layer of a high melting point insulating material and placing silicon raw material in the reservoir, heating the silicon raw material by application of an external heating means and by current applied to the induction coil which electromagnetically heats the silicon thereby forming a pool of molten silicon in the reservoir, actively cooling said induction coil, and drawing up a single crystal silicon rod from the molten silicon in the melt reservoir.

Abstract: A single crystal silicon is prepared by providing a silicon melt reservoir formed of an induction coil coated on its internal surfaces with a high melting insulating material which is subjected to an electromagnetic field which heats silicon placed in said melt reservoir, melting silicon in the melt reservoir by the application of the electromagnetic field and simultaneously depositing a scull layer of silicon on the inner surface of said reservoir, and pulling up a single crystal silicon rod from the silicon melt in the melt reservoir.

Abstract: A method of producing single-crystal silicon is disclosed. Polycrystalline silicon rod is formed from polycrystalline silicon granules, lumps or a mixture thereof by continuous casting through electromagnetic induction. Then, silicon single cyrstal is grown from the polycrystalline silicon rod by the FZ method.

Abstract: For the continuous casting of silicon, an electrically conductive bottomless crucible is circumferentially divided by axial slits and is positioned within an electrical induction coil. The slits form circumferential gaps of between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm and the inner wall of the crucible is inclined by between 0.4.degree. and 2.0.degree., so that the crucible expands in the downstream direction of movement of the silicon. In order to reduce the temperature gradient of the solidified silicon to between 20.degree. C./cm and 100.degree. C./cm, an additional heating element is disposed downstream of the boundary surface between the molten and solidified silicon. The crucible may be cooled by forming the crucible as a double walled cylinder and flowing a coolant therethrough.