Effect of silicon/crucible interfacial energy on orientation of multicrystalline silicon ingot in unidirectional growth

We investigated the effects of the Si crystal/crucible and Si melt/crucible interfacial energies on the orientation of the nucleus of multicrystalline Si during unidirectional growth. We calculated the Gibbs free energy upon nucleation on the crucible by considering the shape of the nucleus of the Si crystal and found that the nucleus with the < 111i > or < 100 > upper direction is stable. It was experimentally shown that {111} planes are dominant at the bottom of a multicrystalline Si ingot grown at a low rate, which was explained by the difference between the Si crystal/crucible and Si melt/crucible interfacial energies at nucleation. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4769742]