(FIRST DRAFT)

Literature Research:
Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

Mustafa Azoulaye
Ecole des Mines - CEMEF

Literature Research: Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

1.

Main focus: identifying twinning mechanisms and methods of modelling them.

Investigated literature:
Growth of multicrystalline Si ingots using noncontact crucible method

2.

Twinning occurrence and grain competition in MC-Si during solidification

3.

Characterization of structural defects in the Si crystal grown with various seeds

4.

BSTR 521: Twinning (University of Washington)

5.

Modelling twinning evolution during plastic deformation in HCP crystals

6.

Fundamentals of Solidification (Kurz Fisher)

Literature Research: Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

Majority of literature focuses on twinning in solids.

Solidification based twinning publications are lacking.
Strategy: employ the identified mechanisms and models of solid twinning and try to apply them to
solidification scenarios.

1.
2.
3.

Main twinning mechanisms identified:

Twinning during solidification.
Twinning as a result of internal stresses/strains after solidification.
Deformation twinning.

In the case of MC-Si solidification #1 and #2 are the most relevant.

Literature Research: Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

Twin formation during solidification

MC-Si production process directional solidification (DS)

DS produces zones of different grain sizes & internal stress states

Figure 1: EMC (Electro-Magnetic Casting) (CrySaLID Documentation)

Literature Research: Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

Twin formation during solidification

First mechanism: twins start growing at the liquid-solid interface according to [2].

At this moment there is no twin formation in the solid below the interface [2].

For different cooling rates & Si grades L-S interface velocities, the twins will repeatedly form at regular
orientations and spacings [2].

The higher the purity of the Si melt, the more likely multiple twinning is [2].

The second mechanism involves a grain in twinned position being formed at a grain boundary groove
and entering in growth competition with other grains [2].

Literature Research: Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

Twin formation during solidification

The most important parameters for twin formation during solidification (grain kinetics):

1.

Global temperature gradient over the S-L interface.

2.

Cooling rate.

3.

S-L interface velocity: related to the cooling rate.

4.

Composition of the impurities: ability to favour twin nucleation.

5.

Lattice structure of the solid.

6.

Solute accumulation.

Literature Research: Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

Twin formation after solidification

Si crystals possess a diamond cubic crystal large amount of slip systems.

Solidified MC-Si ingots possess a great amount of internal stresses according to [1].

The macroscopic (continuum) stress remains relatively equal, but the microscopic stress depends on the grain density
and grain boundary size [5].

The larger the grains, the more likely twins will form as a result of internal stresses [5].

Figure 2: Twinning due to internal compressive and tensile stresses

Literature Research: Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

Twin formation after solidification

The most important parameters for twin formation in solids:

1.

The number of slip systems.

2.

The value of the Schmidt factors with respect to the loading (due to internal stresses)
directions: m = cos()*cos()

3.

The average grain size of a region.

4.

The cooling rate internal stress state.

5.

The amount of present dislocations in the solid.

Literature Research: Formation of Twinning in MC-Si

Plans for the future
1.

Focus on improving solidification knowledge, in particular MC-Si.

2.

Read the remaining accumulated publications on twinning behaviour of metals and metalloids.

3.

Apply solid twinning modeling knowledge towards the S-L interface.

4.

Familiarization of CimLIB.

5.

Study the theory of Cellular Automata programming.

6.

Take the S-L interface twinning dependency parameters and suggest a model for the formation
of twins at the S-L interface.