Reusability of contaminated seed crystal for cast quasi-single crystalline silicon ingots

Reusing seed crystal is beneficial for reducing the production costs for cast quasi-single crystalline (QSC) silicon ingots. We numerically investigate the reusability of seed crystal in the casting processes with quartz crucible and silicon feedstock of different purities. The reused seed crystal is recycled from the standard QSC ingot and has been highly contaminated by iron impurity. Transient simulations of iron transport are carried out and special attention is paid to the diffusion and distribution characteristics of iron impurity at the ingot bottom. The heights of the bottom iron contaminated region are compared for silicon ingots grown from normal and recycled seed crystals. The results show that the purity of quartz crucible can influence the reusability of seed crystal more significantly than that of the feedstock. The recycled seed crystal with high iron concentration can be reused for casting processes with standard crucible, whereas it is not recommended for reusing for processes with pure crucible.