Crystalline silicon ingot and method of fabricating the same

A method for fabricating a crystalline silicon ingot, comprising:

• providing a crystalline silicon seed layer in a mold, wherein said crystalline silicon seed layer comprises multiple primary monocrystalline silicon seeds and multiple secondary monocrystalline silicon seeds, wherein each primary monocrystalline silicon seed has a first top surface and a first side surface and has a first crystal orientation vertical to said first top surface and a second crystal orientation vertical to said first side surface, each secondary monocrystalline silicon seed has a second top surface and a second side surface and has said first crystal orientation vertical to said second top surface and a third crystal orientation vertical to said second side surface, said first crystal orientation is different from (100), said third crystal orientation is different from said second crystal orientation, wherein an angle between said third and second crystal orientations is not less than about 35 degrees, each primary monocrystalline silicon seed is adjacent to at least one secondary monocrystalline silicon seeds, and separate from other primary monocrystalline silicon seeds;
• filling a silicon melt into said mold such that said silicon melt contacts said crystalline silicon seed layer;
• and
• cooling said mold using a directional solidification process such that said silicon melt is solidified and said crystalline silicon ingot is formed comprising said crystalline silicon seed layer.