Patent ID: 8524188

Claim:
A method for forming high quality silicon material for photovoltaic devices, the method comprising: transferring a raw silicon material in a crucible having an interior region, the crucible being provided within a vessel, the crucible being made of a quartz material, the quartz material being capable of withstanding a temperature of at least 1400° C.; subjecting the raw silicon material in the crucible to thermal energy to cause the raw silicon material to be melted into a liquid state, the melted material having an exposed region bounded by the interior region of the crucible; subjecting an exposed inner region of the melted material to an energy source comprising an arc heater configured above the exposed region and spaced by a gap between the exposed region and a muzzle region of the arc heater to cause formation of a determined temperature profile within a vicinity of an inner region of the exposed melted material while maintaining outer regions of the melted material at a temperature below a melting point of the quartz material of the crucible; removing one or more impurities from the melted material to form a higher purity silicon material in the crucible; providing chemicals and gases required for purification and high-pressure damped gas mixtures through an independent injecting device, the independent injecting device having a chemical and gas supply tube and a high-pressure gas supply tube, the chemicals and gases required for purification being provided through the chemical and gas supply tube and the high-pressure damped gas mixtures being provided through the high-pressure gas supply tube; outputting an inert gas through a nozzle region to cause a dimple region within a vicinity of the center region of the melted material; providing a cover gas to maintain the melted material within the crucible; and guiding hot gas rising from a surface of the silicon melt through a guiding element configured to cause a portion of evaporated melted material to return to the melted material.