Electric molten zone crystallization of silicon wafers
A new method for molten zone crystallization is presented. The method is based on the formation of a molten capillary by applying an electric current. Since the power is delivered directly to the liquid, the technique has the potential for low energy budget. On the other hand, being a floating molten zone method, the liquid silicon never contacts foreign materials and therefore is essentially contamination free. Experimental results show that the crystallized samples feature relatively low minority carrier lifetimes which are correlated to relatively high dislocation densities, associated with the sample temperature profile.