US 12,404,604 B2
Silicon ingot, silicon block, silicon substrate, and solar cell
Youhei Ogashiwa, Higashiomi (JP); Seiji Oguri, Higashiomi (JP); and Takeshi Takenoshita, Kyoto (JP)
Assigned to KYOCERA CORPORATION, Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 17/630,851
Filed by KYOCERA CORPORATION, Kyoto (JP)
PCT Filed Jul. 30, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/029233
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 27, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/020510, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 4, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-141352 (JP), filed on Jul. 31, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0389612 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. C30B 29/06 (2006.01); C30B 11/14 (2006.01); H10F 10/14 (2025.01); H10F 77/122 (2025.01)
CPC C30B 29/06 (2013.01) [C30B 11/14 (2013.01); H10F 10/14 (2025.01); H10F 77/122 (2025.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A silicon ingot having a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a third surface extending in a first direction from the second surface to the first surface and connecting the first surface and the second surface, the silicon ingot comprising:
a first mono-like crystalline portion;
a first intermediate portion including one or more mono-like crystalline sections; and
a second mono-like crystalline portion,
wherein the first mono-like crystalline portion, the first intermediate portion, and the second mono-like crystalline portion are adjacent to one another in sequence in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
a first width of the first mono-like crystalline portion and a second width of the second mono-like crystalline portion each are greater than a third width of the first intermediate portion in the second direction,
a first boundary between the first mono-like crystalline portion and the first intermediate portion and a second boundary between the second mono-like crystalline portion and the first intermediate portion each include a coincidence boundary,
at least one of the first boundary or the second boundary is curved in an imaginary cross section perpendicular to the first direction, and
a crystal direction of each of the first mono-like crystalline portion, the second mono-like crystalline portion and the one or more mono-like crystalline sections in the first intermediate portion is parallel to the first direction and has Miller indices of <100>.