Production of stable silicon and germanium isotopes via their enriched volatile compounds

Abstract

The paper considers two main approaches discussed in literature for conversion of gaseous fluorides SiF4, GeF4 and hydrogen-containing compound of germanium, i.e., GeH4, isotopic enriched by centrifugal method, into target products—stable isotopes of silicon and germanium in the form of bulk polycrystals and thin layers. In the first two-step (chemical) approach the fluorides are converted into intermediate compounds which are further subjected either to pyrolysis or to reduction by hydrogen. In the second single-step (plasma-chemical) approach the gaseous fluorides are reduced by hydrogen in plasma sustained by the discharges of different types.