Thermodynamic Study of Boron Oxidation in Metallurgical Grade Silicon Purifying Through Plasma Melting

Understanding the great variety of applications of silicon based photovoltaic solar panels and verifying that the cost of the silicon used on them is responsible for up to 70% 1 of the total production cost, the group was motivated to develop a route to purify 99% pure silicon up to 99,999% (purity needed for this application). To accomplish this, the rather impure silicon will be treated with a electron beam under high vacuum followed by a second purification step using inductively coupled argon plasma combined with different proportions of reactive gases H2O, O2 and H2 , seeking a cheaper and reliable way to produce the high purity silicon needed for the photovoltaic industry.