Reduction of High Purity Silicon from Bamboo Leaf as Basic Material in Development of Sensors Manufacture in Satellite Technology

Silicon is a semiconductor material that has been widely used in sensors and other electronic equipments. Bamboo leaf is an agro-waste that can be a potential source of silicon in Indonesia due to its abundance and its easy cultivation. The objective was to study the effect of temperature rate, acid leaching, and the Mg:SiO2 ratio to the silicon characterization and its potential to be applied as basic material in sensor development of satellite technology. This study consists of two stages, namely reducing silicon dioxide (silica) with magnesium at Mg:SiO2 ratios of 49:60 and 51:60 with temperature rates of 5, 7, and 9 °C/min; and leaching the silicon with HCl 3% and then heating it in a furnace. Silica in this study has reached purity level of 74.49%. Silicon at Mg:SiO2 ratio of 49:60 and rates of 5, 7, and 9 °C/min resulted in purity levels of 0.52, 6.41, and 4.16%, respectively. While, silicon at Mg:SiO2 ratio of 51:60 and rates of 5 and 9 °C/min have not been formed and at rate of 7 °C/min, the purity level of silicon was 1.61%. From these purity values, it was still needed a further development in improving purity level of silicon from bamboo leaf.