Back to results
US 10,093,546 B2Granted
Purified silicon, devices and systems for producing same
AssigneeMilwaukee Silicon LLC
InventorM. Robert Showalter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure provides devices and systems that utilize concurrent and countercurrent exchange platforms to produce purified silicon.
Claims19
A process for purifying silicon comprising:
- passing molten silicon through a first column containing a bed of silica sand;
- removing, with the silica sand, impurities from the molten silicon;
- and
- forming a coarsely-purified molten silicon having an impurity concentration less than or equal to 100 ppm.
1 more element
A process for purifying silicon comprising:
- feeding a coarsely-purified molten silicon having an impurity concentration less than or equal to 100 ppm into a first end of a column in a first flow direction;
- introducing, from a second end of the column that is opposite to the first end, gas bubbles into the molten silicon in a second flow direction that is opposite to the first flow direction, the gas bubbles comprising oxygen;
- oxidizing, with the gas bubbles, the molten silicon to form a plurality of in situ silica-walled gas filled beads;
- forming a countercurrent exchange section in the column with the first flow direction of the molten silicon and the opposite second flow direction of gas bubbles;
- and
- absorbing, with the beads, impurities from the molten silicon.
3 more elements
A process for purifying silicon comprising:
- introducing into a column a molten salt in a first flow direction;
- feeding silicon particles into the column from a second flow direction that is opposite to the first flow direction;
- and
- contacting the silicon particles with the molten salt to remove impurities from the silicon particles.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.