Commissariat &#xc0; L'&#xc9;nergie Atomique Et Aux &#xc9;nergies Alternatives

Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Institut National Polytechnique De Grenoble

Denis Camel

Jean-Paul Garandet

Etienne Pihan

Nicolas Eustathopoulos

Béatrice Drevet

Florence Servant

Anis Jouini

Charles Huguet

Vanessa Amaral De Oliveira

Gautier Fortin

Benoit Marie

Rayisa Voytovych

Johann Testard

Rana Israel

Cédric Ducros

Frédéric Sanchette

Fabrice Coustier

Laurent Bedel

Denis Chavrier

Dominique Sarti

Damien Ponthenier

Nicolas Coudurier

Nelly Plassat

Maxime Veilly

Etienne Cierniak

Olivier Raymond

Frédéric Thummen

Valery Botton

Benoît Marie

A substrate characterised in that it is at least partially surface-coated with a coating containing at least one so-called 'barrier' layer having silica and one or more material(s) X selected from among SiC, Si, SiN, in which layer the amount of X varies between 25-wt. % and 50.-wt. % in relation to the total weight of the barrier layer, the barrier layer being formed by grains of one or more materials X covered at least partially in a silica shell, and the barrier layer being in direct contact with the substrate.

Substrate with low-permeability coating for the solidification of silicon

A method for producing a silicon ingot, provided with symmetrical grain boundaries, including at least steps made of: (i) providing crucible with longitudinal axis, bottom of which includes a paving formed from monocrystalline cuboid silicon seeds with a square or rectangular base and arranged contiguously, the paving, when viewed according to axis, being in shape of a grid of orthogonal directions (x) and (y) parallel to edges of seeds; and (ii) proceeding with controlled solidification of silicon by growth on seeds in a growth direction collinear to axis; wherein paving in step (i) is produced from identical silicon seeds, with two seeds contiguous in direction (x) being images of each other by turning axis (y) and two seeds contiguous in direction (y) being images of each other by turning axis (x), and misorientation 2&#x3b8; between crystalline arrays of two contiguous seeds being greater than 4&#xb0;.

Method for producing a silicon ingot having symmetrical grain boundaries

A method for manufacturing a silicon cylinder by growth on seeds in a directed solidification furnace, including at least the following steps: (i) providing a crucible having a longitudinal axis (Z), in which the bottom is covered with a layer of seeds of monocrystalline silicon in a right prism shape; and (ii) proceeding with directed solidification of silicon by growth on seeds, in a direction of growth that is co-linear with the axis (Z) and with a concave solidification front, spatially or temporally; characterized in that the layer in step (i) of: one or more central seeds G; and one or more peripheral seeds Gcontiguous to the seed(s) G, the peripheral seeds Ghaving a specific size.

Method for manufacturing a silicon cylinder by growth on seeds in a directed solidification furnace

A substrate, in particular intended for contact with liquid silicon, wherein it is at least partially surface-coated with a multilayer coating formed by: at least one layer, known as the adhesion layer, contiguous with the substrate, having an open porosity of at least 30%, and formed of a material comprising silica and silicon nitride, said material having a silica content of between 10 wt.-% and 55 wt.-% in relation to the total weight thereof; and a layer different from the adhesion layer, known as the release layer, located on the surface of the adhesion layer and formed of a material including silica and silicon nitride, said material having a silica content of between 2 wt.-% and 10 wt.-% in relation to the total weight thereof.

Substrate for solidifying a silicon ingot

The device forming a crucible for fabrication of crystalline material by directional solidification comprises a bottom and at least one side wall. The bottom presents a first portion having a first thermal resistance and a second portion having a second thermal resistance that is lower than the first thermal resistance. The second portion is designed to receive a seed for fabrication of the crystalline material. The bottom and side wall are at least partially formed by a tightly sealed part including at least one indentation participating in defining said first and second portions. The first portion is covered by a first anti-adherent layer having an additional first thermal resistance. The second portion may be covered by a second anti-adherent layer having an additional second thermal resistance that is lower than the first thermal resistance.

Device for manufacturing a crystalline material from a crucible having non-uniform heat resistance

Heat exchanger () for a system for solidification and/or for crystallization of a semiconductor material, comprising a first member () and a second member (), the first and second members being movable with respect to each other, characterized in that the first member comprises a first pattern of relief () and the second member comprises a second pattern of relief (), the first pattern of relief being designed to cooperate with the second pattern of relief.

Heat exchanger for a system for solidification and/or crystallization of a semiconductor material

The present invention relates to novel materials intended for being contacted with liquid silicon and having a multilayer architecture, the intermediate layer of which is formed by a silicon carbide matrix containing at least one carbon nodule. The invention also relates to the method for preparing said materials.

Material having a multilayer architecture and intended for being contacted with liquid silicon

The present invention relates to a method of assembling carbon parts using a braze based on silicon carbide. The invention also relates to the parts assembled using such a method.

Method of assembling carbon parts by refractory brazing

The device for producing a block of crystalline material from a bath of molten material comprises a crucible having a bottom and heat extraction means arranged under the crucible. It also comprises means for modulating the thermal conductivity fitted between the bottom of the crucible and the heat extraction means. The means for modulating the thermal conductivity comprise a plurality of plates made from thermally conducting material of low emissivity, parallel to the bottom of the crucible, and means for moving said plates closer to and away from one another.

Device for producing a block of crystalline material with modulation of the thermal conductivity

The method enables metallurgical silicon to be purified by directional solidification to obtain solar or photovoltaic grade silicon. A crystallization step uses at least one silicon seed, preference of solar grade or even microelectronic grade, having for example a purity substantially equal to or greater than a predetermined purity of the solar-grade silicon. The silicon seed which covers the bottom of the crucible can come from a previous crystallization or be formed by a silicon wafer. The use of a single-crystal or textured multi-crystal seed enables crystallographic orientation of the solar-grade silicon. An intermediate layer of solid metallurgical silicon can be arranged on the silicon seed and a metallurgical silicon feedstock is arranged on the intermediate layer.

Method of purifying metallurgical silicon by directional solidification

The sulfidation resistance of a silver-base material coating is further improved by making a concentration gradient of silver, oxygen and of one or more oxidizable alloying elements that may be present in the material, from the free surface of the coating up to a depth comprised between 10 nm and 1 &#x3bc;m and more particularly between 100 nm and 1 &#x3bc;m. Thus, the coating comprises a stack of one main layer made from silver-base material and of one oxidized thin film. The thin film, with a thickness comprised between 10 nm and 1 &#x3bc;m, thus presents a decreasing silver concentration gradient from the interface between the thin film and the main layer to the free surface of the thin film. Deposition of the coating on a support can be achieved by two successive physical vapor deposition steps, and more particularly by magnetron cathode sputtering.

Sulfidation-resistant silver-base coating, method for depositing such a coating and use thereof

Wafers of semi-conducting material are formed by moulding and directional crystallization from a liquid mass of this material. A seed, situated at the bottom of the crucible, presents an orientation along non-dense crystallographic planes. The mould is filled with the molten semi-conducting material by means of a piston or by creation of a pressure difference in the device. The mould is preferably coated with a non-wettable anti-adhesive deposit.

Growing community of inventors

Chambery, France

Denis Camel