<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Silicon as a raw material for solar cells can be produced by numerous methods. The carbothermic reduction of silica using electric arc furnace is the most widely used process in silicon industry. This paper presents a new approach to produce solar grade silicon using microwave furnace. Pellets of different sizes were prepared from a mixture of silica and carbon using water and polyvinyl alcohol as binder agents. Raman spectra indicated a peak at about 515 cm−1 attributed to silicon in the pellets prepared with polyvinyl alcohol, and peaks at about 523 cm−1 and 794 cm−1 attributed to silicon and silicon carbide, in the pellets prepared with water. The pellet size affects the absorption of microwave energy emitted from the magnetrons. Polyvinyl alcohol as a binder agent is promising for the production of silicon using microwave furnace.</abstract>

Silicon as a raw material for solar cells can be produced by numerous methods. The carbothermic reduction of silica using electric arc furnace is the most widely used process in silicon industry. This paper presents a new approach to produce solar grade silicon using microwave furnace. Pellets of different sizes were prepared from a mixture of silica and carbon using water and polyvinyl alcohol as binder agents. Raman spectra indicated a peak at about 515 cm−1 attributed to silicon in the pellets prepared with polyvinyl alcohol, and peaks at about 523 cm−1 and 794 cm−1 attributed to silicon and silicon carbide, in the pellets prepared with water. The pellet size affects the absorption of microwave energy emitted from the magnetrons. Polyvinyl alcohol as a binder agent is promising for the production of silicon using microwave furnace.

Effect of pellet size and additive on silica carbothermic reduction in microwave furnace for solar grade silicon

Département de Technologie des Matériaux, Faculté de physique

Université des Sciences et 0de la Technologie d’Oran Mohamed Boudiaf

Laboratoire de Microscopie Electronique et Sciences des Matériaux

Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran Mohamed Boudiaf

Département de Physique, Faculté Des Sciences

Division Microélectronique et Nanotechnologie, Centre de Développement des Technologies Avancées

Materials Science-Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Silicon as a raw material for solar cells can be produced by numerous methods. The carbothermic reduction of silica using electric arc furnace is the most...

Effect of pellet size and additive on silica carbothermic reduction in microwave furnace for solar grade silicon

Publié en ligne: 06 mars 2019

Pages: 122 - 126

Reçu: 23 juin 2018

Accepté: 05 janv. 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/msp-2019-0014

Mots clés
microwave furnace, carbon, silica, solar grade silicon, solar cells

© 2019 Fillali Cherif et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Effect of pellet size and additive on silica carbothermic reduction in microwave furnace for solar grade silicon

Publié en ligne: 06 mars 2019

Pages: 122 - 126

Reçu: 23 juin 2018

Accepté: 05 janv. 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/msp-2019-0014

Mots clésmicrowave furnace, carbon, silica, solar grade silicon, solar cells

© 2019 Fillali Cherif et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Mots clés
microwave furnace, carbon, silica, solar grade silicon, solar cells