Purification and Characterization of Metallurgical Silicon

Abstract

Metallurgical‐grade silicon is a convenient starting material for the preparation of solar cell‐grade silicon. The purification of metallurgical silicon by the treatment of its melt with gaseous reagents and in some cases followed by unidirectional solidification, has been investigated. The purified material was analyzed for major impurities by the atomic absorption technique. Single crystals have been prepared from purified metallurgical silicon by the Czochralski technique, and their electrical properties, such as electrical resistivity. carrier mobility, and diffusion length, were measured.