# US 2013/0277201 A1 · Method for Separating and Recovering Silicon from Silicon Sludge

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- Number: US 2013/0277201 A1
- Document ID: US20130277201A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/653,794
- Filed: 2012-10-17
- Published: 2013-10-24
- Earliest claimed: 2012-04-11
- Assignees: Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources
- Applicants: Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources
- Inventors: Hee Dong Jang; Han Kwon Chang; Dae Sup Kil
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130277201A1

## CPC

- C01B 33/037: Purification (by zone-melting C30B13/00)
- C01B 33/02: Silicon (forming single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure C30B)
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}

## Abstract

Disclosed is a method for selectively separating and recovering silicon from waste silicon sludge generated during a semiconductor manufacturing process. With the method for separating and recovering silicon from the silicon sludge, oil components, iron, silicon carbide that are included in the silicon sludge may be removed and silicon may be selectively separated and recovered. In addition, silicon may be efficiently recovered without injection of an additive for precipitating a specific component or without a separate device such as a magnetic separator, or the like, for removing iron.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge, comprising:
(a) distilling silicon sludge generated in a semiconductor manufacturing process to remove oil components;
(b) dispersing the distilled silicon sludge to prepare a silicon sludge solution;
(c) performing ultrasonic treatment on the silicon sludge solution;
(d) performing centrifugation on the ultrasonic treated silicon sludge solution to perform phase-separation; and
(e) recovering silicon particles from the phase-separated silicon sludge solution.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge of claim 1, wherein in step (a), the distillation of the silicon sludge is performed at 100 to 300° C.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge of claim 1, wherein in step (b), the silicon sludge solution contains silicon sludge in a range of 2 to 4 weight %.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge of claim 1, wherein in step (c), the ultrasonic treatment is performed at an intensity of 100 W to 500 W for 10 to 300 minutes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge of claim 1, wherein in step (d), the centrifugation is performed at 300 to 700 rpm for 5 to 100 minutes.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge of claim 2, wherein the distillation of the silicon sludge is performed at 150 to 200° C.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge of claim 4, wherein the ultrasonic treatment is performed at an intensity of 200 W to 400 W for 20 to 240 minutes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge of claim 5, wherein the centrifugation is performed at 450 to 550 rpm for 5 to 75 minutes.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method for separating and recovering silicon from silicon sludge of claim 1, wherein a recovery rate of silicon recovered from the silicon sludge is 35 to 90%.