PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16032078
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-07
Publication Date: 2018-11
Patent Classification: ["117", "074000"]

Abstract:
The present invention relates to the purification of silicon. The present invention provides a method for purification of silicon. The method includes recrystallizing starting material-silicon from a molten solvent comprising aluminum to provide final recrystallized-silicon crystals. The method also includes washing the final recrystallized-silicon crystals with an aqueous acid solution to provide a final acid-washed-silicon. The method also includes directionally solidifying the final acid-washed-silicon to provide final directionally solidified-silicon crystals.

Claim (Index 10):
A method for purification of silicon, the method comprising:\n recrystallizing starting material silicon from solvent metal comprising aluminum, wherein the recrystallizing comprises:\n contacting the starting material silicon with a molten solvent comprising the aluminum to provide a first mixture; \n melting the first mixture to provide a first molten mixture; and \n cooling the first molten mixture to form recrystallized silicon crystals; \n washing the recrystallized silicon crystals, wherein the washing comprises:\n combining the silicon crystals with a first HCl solution having a first HCl concentration; \n allowing the recrystallized silicon crystals to react at least partially with the first HCl solution, to provide a first silicon-aluminum complex in a first wash mixture; separating the first silicon aluminum complex and from the first wash mixture; combining the first silicon-aluminum complex with a second HCl solution having a second HCl concentration that is higher than the first HCl concentration; allowing the first silicon-aluminum complex to react at least partially with the second HCl solution, to provide a second silicon-aluminum complex in a second wash mixture; separating the second silicon-aluminum complex from the second wash mixture; combining the second silicon-aluminum complex with a third HCl solution having a third HCl concentration that is higher than the first HCl concentration and the second HCl concentration; allowing the second silicon-aluminum complex to react at least partially with the third HCl solution, to provide a first silicon in a third wash mixture; separating the first silicon from the third wash mixture; combining the first silicon with a first rinse solution, to provide a second silicon in a first rinse mixture; separating the second silicon from the first rinse mixture; combining the second silicon with a second rinse solution, to provide a purified silicon in a second rinse mixture; separating the purified silicon from the second rinse mixture; and wherein the washing further comprises at least one of:\n removing a portion of the first HCl solution to maintain a pH of the first HCl solution, a volume of the first HCl solution, a specific gravity of the first HCl solution, or a combination thereof; \n transferring a portion of the second HCl solution to the first HCl solution to maintain the pH of the first HCl solution, the volume of the first HCl solution, the specific gravity of the first HCl solution, or a combination thereof; \n transferring a portion of the third HCl solution to the second HCl solution to maintain a pH of the second HCl solution, a volume of the second HCl solution, a specific gravity of the second HCl solution, or a combination thereof; \n adding a portion of a bulk HCl solution to the third HCl solution to maintain a pH of the third HCl solution, a volume of the third HCl solution, a specific gravity of the third HCl solution, or a combination thereof; \n transferring a portion of the first rinse solution to the third HCl solution to maintain the pH of the third HCl solution, the volume of the strong third HCl solution, the specific gravity of the third HCl solution, or a combination thereof; transferring a portion of the second rinse solution to the first rinse solution to maintain a volume of the first rinse solution; or \n adding fresh water to the second rinse solution to maintain a volume of the second rinse solution; and \n directionally solidifying the purified silicon to provide a directionally solidified silicon.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 50.0
- Percentile: 95.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.97368
- Patent Class: 117.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['12670263', '12729561', '13494710', '12784576', '12288857']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7730923539007355
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5153106354811112
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7473141820587731
- Mean Citation Score: 296.593192
- Max Citation Score: 314.5261799999999
- Similarity Product: 233.0874635872435

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test