Floating sheet production apparatus and method
View Patent ↗This sheet production apparatus comprises a vessel defining a channel configured to hold a melt. The melt is configured to flow from a first point to a second point of the channel. A cooling plate is disposed proximate the melt and is configured to form a sheet on the melt. A spillway is disposed at the second point of the channel. This spillway is configured to separate the sheet from the melt.
1. A sheet production method comprising:
flowing a melt of a material through a channel;
cooling said melt;
forming a sheet of said material on said melt;
flowing said sheet with said melt after said forming; and
separating said sheet from said melt.
2. The sheet production method of claim 1 , wherein said sheet and said melt are comprised of silicon or silicon and germanium.
3. The sheet production method of claim 1 , wherein said separating is performed using a spillway.
4. The sheet production method of claim 1 , wherein said cooling is radiative cooling.
5. The sheet production method of claim 1 , further comprising fabricating a solar cell with said sheet using a continuous-flow apparatus.
6. The sheet production method of claim 1 , further comprising transporting said sheet through a second melt and thickening said sheet in said second melt.
7. A product formed using the method of claim 1 .
8. The sheet production method of claim 1 , wherein said sheet and a surface of said melt flow at approximately the same speed prior to said separating.
9. The sheet production method of claim 1 , wherein said melt falls away from said sheet during said separating.
10. The sheet production method of claim 1 , wherein said sheet floats on said melt.
11. A sheet production method comprising:
flowing a melt of a material through a channel;
cooling a surface of said melt;
forming a sheet of said material on said surface of said melt;
flowing said sheet with said melt after said forming; and
separating said sheet from said melt.
12. The sheet production method of claim 11 , wherein said sheet and said melt are comprised of silicon or silicon and germanium.
13. The sheet production method of claim 11 , wherein said separating is performed using a spillway.
14. The sheet production method of claim 11 , wherein said cooling is radiative cooling.
15. A product formed using the method of claim 11 .
16. The sheet production method of claim 11 , wherein said sheet and said surface of said melt flow at approximately the same speed prior to said separating.
17. The sheet production method of claim 11 , wherein said melt falls away from said sheet during said separating.
18. A sheet production method comprising:
flowing a melt of a material through a channel;
cooling a surface of said melt in a first region;
freezing a sheet of said material on said surface of said melt in said first region;
flowing said sheet with said melt after said freezing to a second region different from said first region; and
separating said sheet from said melt in said second region.
19. The sheet production method of claim 18 , wherein said sheet and said melt are comprised of silicon or silicon and germanium.
20. The sheet production method of claim 18 , wherein said cooling is radiative cooling.