Devices and systems for producing silicon

Abstract

The present disclosure provides devices and systems that utilize concurrent and countercurrent exchange platforms to produce purified silicon.

Description

Background technique [0001] The present disclosure is directed to apparatus and systems for producing purified silicon, and the purified silicon produced. [0002] Extreme purity is required in semiconductor silicon, and the best available silicon purity is very important in semiconductor production. Improved silicon purity translates into improved semiconductor production statistics as well as improved semiconductor operations. Silicon-based photovoltaic cell efficiency and photovoltaic cell production could also be more efficient if much purer silicon could be obtained cost-effectively for silicon-based photovoltaic cell production. In general, the ideal silicon (cost aside) for any photovoltaic or semiconductor purpose, considering ideal processing, is one of such high purity that elements other than silicon cannot be detected in the silicon, its purity So high that for any practical purpose the exact value of the impurity concentration is unimportant, and at the ideal li...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The basic silicon volatile distillation and reduction model locks in the energy and capital costs that do not limit current relatively small-scale deployment of photovoltaic cells, but the energy cost of this established model precludes photovoltaic cells from being used as a solution for world energy shortages and global warming. The enormous scale of production required for a complete solution of the problem (where tens of terawatts of photovoltaic cells would need to be produced and would have to be produced in relatively few years)

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