Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Crystalline silicon or (c-Si) is the crystalline forms of silicon, either polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si, consisting of small crystals), or monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si, a continuous crystal). Crystalline silicon is the dominant semiconducting material used in photovoltaic technology for the production of solar cells .
Silicon crystal being grown by the Czochralski method at Raytheon, 1956. The induction heating coil is visible, and the end of the crystal is just emerging from the melt. The technician is measuring the temperature with an optical pyrometer. The crystals produced by this early apparatus, used in an early Si plant, were only one inch in diameter.
Thus silicon does not measurably react with the air below 900 °C, but formation of the vitreous dioxide rapidly increases between 950 °C and 1160 °C and when 1400 °C is reached, atmospheric nitrogen also reacts to give the nitrides SiN and Si 3 N 4. Silicon reacts with gaseous sulfur at 600 °C and gaseous phosphorus at 1000 °C.
Monocrystalline silicon, often referred to as single-crystal silicon or simply mono-Si, is a critical material widely used in modern electronics and photovoltaics. As the foundation for silicon-based discrete components and integrated circuits , it plays a vital role in virtually all modern electronic equipment, from computers to smartphones.
In the Czochralski process a seed crystal is required to create a larger crystal, or ingot. This seed crystal is dipped into the pure molten silicon and slowly extracted. The molten silicon grows on the seed crystal in a crystalline fashion. As the seed is extracted the silicon solidifies and eventually a large, cylindrical boule is produced. [3]
Crystalline silicon has a metallic luster and a grayish color. Single crystals can be grown with the Czochralski process. Crystalline silicon can be doped with elements such as boron, gallium, germanium, phosphorus or arsenic. Doped silicon is used in solid-state electronic devices, such as solar cells, rectifiers and computer chips. [1]
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
There are a few crystal structures, notably the perovskite structure, which exhibit ferroelectric behavior. This is analogous to ferromagnetism, in that, in the absence of an electric field during production, the ferroelectric crystal does not exhibit a polarization. Upon the application of an electric field of sufficient magnitude, the crystal ...