Silicon Metallurgy

Silicon metallurgy is the technology for preparation of polysilicon from metallurgical-grade silicon (MG silicon), which is produced by the reduction of silicon-containing ores. In nature, silicon usually exists in compounds and the simplest one is the silicon-oxygen compounds, such as silica. Silicon-oxygen compounds in ores and rocks are collectively referred to as silicates. Elemental silicon is available in both crystalline and amorphous forms.

The existence of silicon in rocks was discovered by French chemist A. L. Lavoisier in 1787. The amorphous silicon was produced by French chemist J. L. Gay-Lussac in 1811 through potassium reduction of silicon tetrafluoride. Since then, metal reduction was developed as the common technology for the research and preparation of silicon, but it was not employed in actual production processes due to high cost. The name of “silicon” originated from “silicis,” which meant “flint” in Latin. The technology of preparing MG silicon by the reduction of...