Influence of Mechanical Stirring on the Crucible Dissolution Rate and Impurities Distribution in Directional Solidification of Multicrystalline Silicon

Abstract In this study, time dependent three-dimensional numerical simulations were carried out using the STHAMAS3D software in order to understand the effects of forced convection induced by mechanical stirring of the melt, on the crucible dissolution rate and on the impurities distribution in multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) melt for different values of the diffusion coefficient. Numerical simulations were performed on a pilot scale furnace with crucible dimensions of 38x38x40cm3. The computational domain used for the local 3D-simulations consists of melt and crystal. The dissolution rate was estimated from the total mass of impurities that was found in the silicon melt after a certain period of time. The obtained results show that enhanced convection produced by a mechanical stirrer leads to a significant increase of the dissolution rate and also to a uniform distribution of impurities in the melt.