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Numerical Investigation on Modified Bottom Heater of DS Furnace to Improve mc-Si Ingot

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Abstract

The growth of multi-crystalline silicon ingot for Photo-voltaic application has been done using an optimized directional solidification process. Two Directional solidification furnace designs are considered, first one is ingot grown by using the side-top heater and the second one is ingot grown by using the side-bottom heater. The convex melt-crystal interface is obtained in the whole casting process when using the side-bottom heaters. The temperature distribution was optimized by adjusting the side-bottom heaters which give better control of thermal stress generation during the casting process. The normal stresses, sigma 11, sigma 22 and sigma 33 are analyzed in the grown crystals by using both the side-top and the side-bottom heater systems. The stress values are reduced when the side-bottom heaters are used. The side-bottom heater system has given better results than the side-top heater system for growing mc-Si ingot.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Government of India (order no: 31/58/2013-2014/PVSE).

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Government of India (Order no: 31/58/2013–2014/PVSE & 15–01-2015).

G Aravindan acknowledges Human Resource Development Group, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research for Direct Senior Research Fellowship, Government of India (Sanction letter no/file no: 08/542(0010)2K19 EMR-I).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SSN Research Centre, SSN College of Engineering, Chennai, India, 603110

    Aravindan Gurusamy, M. Srinivasan & P. Ramasamy

  2. Division of Physics, School of Advanced Sciences, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, India, 60 0127

    M. Thiyagarajan

  3. Department of Physics, SSN College of Engineering, Chennai, India, 603 110

    Aravindan Gurusamy & M. Srinivasan

Authors
  1. Aravindan Gurusamy
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  2. M. Thiyagarajan
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  3. M. Srinivasan
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  4. P. Ramasamy
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Contributions

Aravindan Gurusamy

Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Data Curation, Resources, Writing—Original Draft, Writing—Review & Editing

Thiyagarajan M

Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation

Srinivasan M

Visualization

Ramasamy P

Supervision

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aravindan Gurusamy.

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Gurusamy, A., Thiyagarajan, M., Srinivasan, M. et al. Numerical Investigation on Modified Bottom Heater of DS Furnace to Improve mc-Si Ingot. Silicon 15, 3713–3724 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-022-02259-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-022-02259-5

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