Process for the manufacture of semiconductor wafers

US4461671A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Heliotronic Forschungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft fur Solarzellen-Grundstoffe mbH · DE

Inventors

• Dieter Seifert · Vilshofen an der Donau, DE
• Erhard Sirtl · Marktl, DE
• Cord Gessert · Burghausen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 1, 1982
• Grant date: Jul 24, 1984
• Expiry date: Feb 1, 2002

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S117/911
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for the direct manufacture of semiconductor wafers, wherein the semiconductor wafers are obtained from molten semiconductor material by providing an area of the surface of the semiconductor melt that corresponds approximately to the size of the wafer with at least one seed crystal, by allowing this area of the surface to cool until it solidifies, the cooling being brought about at least substantially by loss of heat by radiation, and finally, by removing the crystallized-out wafer from the surface. If elemental silicon is used as the semiconductor material, wafers that are suitable for further processing to form solar cells are obtained.