Reactions Between Silicon and Graphite Substrates at High Temperature: In Situ Observations

Graphite as a refractory material has found wide application in many process steps to produce photovoltaic silicon. In the current study, the melting behavior of silicon in contact with different grades of graphite was investigated. The infiltration of silicon into graphite was found to be highly dependent on the internal structure of the graphite substrate. It was confirmed that the heating history of silicon in contact with a graphite substrate strongly influences the melting behavior, which is likely attributed to a gas–solid reaction that forms SiC at less than the liquidus temperature of silicon and alters the surface properties of the graphite. It was also observed that a concentration of CO greater than 5 pct in the inlet gas leads to SiC formation on the surface of the silicon and severely hinders melting.