| Silicium Becancour Inc. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
| 20090074648 | PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MEDIUM AND HIGH PURITY SILICON FROM METALLURGICAL GRADE SILICON - A process for purifying low-purity metallurgical grade silicon, contains at least one contaminant and obtains a higher-purity solid polycrystalline silicon. The process includes containing a melt of low-purity metallurgical grade silicon in a mold having insulated bottom and side walls, and an open top; solidifying the melt by unidirectional solidification from the open top towards the bottom wall while electromagnetically stirring the melt; controlling a rate of the unidirectional solidification; stopping the unidirectional solidification when the melt has partially solidified to produce an ingot having an exterior shell including the higher-purity solid polycrystalline silicon and a center including an impurity-enriched liquid silicon; and creating an opening in the exterior shell of the ingot to outflow the impurity-enriched liquid silicon and leave the exterior shell which has the higher-purity solid polycrystalline silicon. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20080253955 | Process and apparatus for purifying low-grand silicon material - A process and apparatus for purifying low-purity silicon material and obtaining a higher-purity silicon material is provided. The process includes providing a melting apparatus equipped with an oxy-fuel burner, and melting the low-purity silicon material in the melting apparatus to obtain a melt of higher-purity silicon material. The melting apparatus may include a rotary drum furnace and the melting of the low-purity silicon material may be carried out at a temperature in the range from 1410° C. to 1700° C. under an oxidizing or reducing atmosphere. A synthetic slag may be added to the molten material during melting. The melt of higher-purity silicon material may be separated from a slag by outpouring into a mould having an open top and insulated bottom and side walls. Once in the mould, the melt of higher-purity silicon material can undergo controlled unidirectional solidification to obtain a solid polycrystalline silicon of an even higher purity. | 10-16-2008 |