Device and method for producing silicon blocks

1. A device for producing silicon blocks for photovoltaic applications, the device comprising:

a container for receiving a silicon melt, said container comprising a base wall and at least one side wall;

at least one covering element for reducing diffusion of impurities from at least one of said base wall and said at least one side wall of the container into the silicon melt and the silicon block, wherein the at least one covering element is configured as an insertion plate for insertion into the container to at least partially cover at least one of the base wall and the at least one side wall of the container, wherein the at least one covering element is at least partially made of a material, which has a melting point which lies above a melting point of silicon, wherein the at least one covering element has a closed-pore configuration.

2. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element is configured in such a way that at least the base wall of the container can be at least 90% covered by the covering element.

3. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element is configured in such a way that at least the side wall of the container can be at least 90% covered by the covering element.

4. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element is at least partially made of a material, which has a diffusion constant in relation to silicon, which, at temperatures in the range of 20° C. to 1500° C., is at least 0.5 times as great as the diffusion constant of one of the transition metals titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in relation to silicon at the corresponding temperatures.

5. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element is at least partially made of a material, which has a diffusion constant in relation to silicon, which, at temperatures in the range of 20° C. to 1500° C., is at most 0.3 times as great as the diffusion constant of one of the transition metals titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in relation to silicon at the corresponding temperatures.

6. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element is at least partially made of a material, which has a diffusion constant in relation to silicon, which, at temperatures in the range of 20° C. to 1500° C., is at most 0.2 times as great as the diffusion constant of one of the transition metals titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in relation to silicon at the corresponding temperatures.

7. A device according to claim 4 , wherein the covering element is simultaneously a nucleus template for the crystallization of the silicon melt.

8. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element has at least one fraction selected from the group of refractory metals, the compounds thereof, silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) and the compounds thereof, and aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ).

9. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element has a density of at least 90% by volume.

10. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element is produced from an amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ).

11. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element has a thickness in the range from 0.001 mm to 10 mm.

12. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element has a thickness in the range from 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

13. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element has a thickness in the range from 0.4 mm to 1 mm.

14. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element has a coating comprising at least one substance from at least one of the quaternary system Si—C—O—N and the binary system B—N.

15. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the covering element has a coating of one of the group of silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) and boron nitride (BN).

16. A device according to claim 14 , wherein one of the group of one nucleus template and more nucleus templates are used as the covering element.

17. A device according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one nucleus template is made of monocrystalline silicon.

18. A device for producing silicon blocks for photovoltaic applications, the device comprising:

a container for receiving a silicon melt, said container comprising a base wall and at least one side wall;

a covering element arranged between the silicon melt and at least one of said base wall and said at least one side wall, said covering element reducing diffusion of impurities from said at least one of said base wall and said at least one side wall of the container into the silicon melt and a silicon block, wherein the at least one covering element comprises an insertion plate, said insertion plate at least partially covering said at least one of said base wall and said at least one side wall, wherein the at least one covering element comprises a melting point that is greater than a melting point of silicon, the covering element having a closed-pore configuration.

19. A device according to claim 18 , wherein the covering element is at least partially made of a material, which has a diffusion constant in relation to silicon, which, at temperatures in the range of 20° C. to 1500° C., is at least 0.5 times as great as the diffusion constant of one of the transition metals titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in relation to silicon at the corresponding temperatures.

20. A device according to claim 18 , wherein the covering element is at least partially made of a material, which has a diffusion constant in relation to silicon, which, at temperatures in the range of 20° C. to 1500° C., is at most 0.3 times as great as the diffusion constant of one of the transition metals titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in relation to silicon at the corresponding temperatures.

21. A device for producing silicon blocks for photovoltaic applications, the device comprising:

a container for receiving a silicon melt, said container comprising a base wall and at least one side wall;

a covering element in direct contact with at least one of said base wall and said at least one side wall, said covering element defining at least a portion of an interior space of said container for receiving the silicon melt, said covering element reducing diffusion of impurities from said at least one of said base wall and said at least one side wall of the container into the silicon melt and a silicon block, wherein the at least one covering element comprises an insertion plate, said insertion plate at least partially covering said at least one of said base wall and said at least one side wall, wherein the at least one covering element comprises a melting point that is greater than a melting point of silicon, the covering element having a closed-pore configuration.

22. A device according to claim 21 , wherein the covering element is at least partially made of a material, which has a diffusion constant in relation to silicon, which, at temperatures in the range of 20° C. to 1500° C., is at least 0.5 times as great as the diffusion constant of one of the transition metals titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in relation to silicon at the corresponding temperatures.

23. A device according to claim 22 , wherein the covering element is at least partially made of a material, which has a diffusion constant in relation to silicon, which, at temperatures in the range of 20° C. to 1500° C., is at most 0.3 times as great as the diffusion constant of one of the transition metals titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in relation to silicon at the corresponding temperatures.