Application of computer modeling to pulling rate and productivity of Czochralski pullers in PV Si crystal growth

More than 30 billion silicon wafers are produced each year for solar industry. To satisfy market demand and increase market share, manufacturers of monocrystalline ingots/wafers need to actively work on technology improvements to gain competitive advantage. Optimization of production technology of silicon crystals is essential in enhancing PV conversion efficiency and reducing cost per watt, which are the core competitiveness in solar industry. One of the most powerful ways of technology optimization in these directions is increasing the crystal pulling rate of Czochralski pullers. Computer modeling has become one of the main tools for optimizing crystal growth technology in industry. In this paper, we present the simulation capabilities to analyze the effect of the hot zone design on the possibility of increasing the growth rate of silicon crystals both for standard diameter of 8.5 in. and for the next-generation crystals for solar cells with diameters up to 12 in.. Modeling results have been verified in the pilot and mass production facilities, thus confirming the accuracy of compu-tations, and providing opportunities to reduce the cost of silicon wafer and solar cell production.