Negotiations with a number of potential consumers, considering the possibility of testing silicon produced using the new technology, failed - the only price argument was insufficient for potential buyers to bear at least the minimum costs for testing a completely unknown product from the Unknown supplier.
Therefore, the main attention was paid to the development of the business plan and, first of all, the launch of the product on the market; And also accelerate the implementation of part of the business plan, which is practically possible for the enterprise.
During the development of the business plan and coaching by Uwe Welhausen, a SWOT analysis of the EBR's growth project was carried out, which revealed a number of strengths and weaknesses. Weaknesses of the project included:
1) Lack of direct relations with customers, since manufacturers of FZ either offer too low a price, or ensure the growth of single crystals as a service with subsequent sales of FZ by themselves, which weakens the position in the commodity market.
2) Absence of own powers of the Federal Law - as a consequence 1)
3) Target chain of product cost creation, there are a number of services and subcontractors: FZSC growth, part of quality control measurements, doping and annealing of neutron transmutation, wafers.
4) Difficult access to capital due to lack of similar enterprises and low credibility of potential creditors to the likelihood of project implementation.
Thus, the main issue that should be considered within the framework of the project is the localization of technological processes in the enterprise, mainly the process of FZSC production growth.
As a result of localization, a number of products should become feasible:
1. FZSC, or alloyed in the process of metallurgical growth - FZSCD, or unalloyed - with high resistance-FZSCHR
2. FZSC NTD is a product created in cooperation with European or Russian nuclear plants or research centers
3. Si plates are made of one kind of single crystals, manufactured in cooperation at the request of the customer.
Testing of single crystals in the customer's energy devices is planned after growing single crystals of silicon FZ with a diameter of 44-100 mm at their own capacities.
The next step is the growth of single crystals of 150 mm (as an intermediate stage) and a diameter of 200 mm. The timeframe for the production of the furnace for the growth process is about 12 months, the development of the technology of growth of 150 mm - 6 months, the development of technology for 200 mm - 6-12 months. Therefore, given the time it takes to finance the attraction, we consider it prudent to begin this process in 2017 to begin the production of 200 mm single crystals by 2019.
With regard to raising funds At the time of writing the loan was drawn from SEB Bank in the amount of 200 000 euro for a period of five years; An agreement was signed on the delivery of a vacuum chamber for a future FZSC furnace with a 6-month grace period. A contract was signed for the supply of equipment for the mechanical processing of silicon and the missing measuring equipment. Equipment available in the company for chemical and thermal processing is sufficient for the current localization of production.
In the process of EBR growth, the influence of the operation of the electron beam energy source on the process was noted; In particular, the size of the focal spot on the surface and the quality of focusing. It is known that the size of the focal spot and the energy actually applied to the spot significantly affect the amount of heat actually transferred to the melt. Consequently, it became necessary to detect the signals from the batteries and the electron beam heater and the need to control them to handle the resulting oscillations. In the course of the project, a model of such a power source was developed.
On the basis of experimental work, the ratios of the sizes of a container with water cooling, a crucible and a rod for growing were established. The results of the studies were taken as a basis for the design of the bath (Fig. 2). As a result of experimental work, several crystals with a mass of up to 80 kg with a diameter of up to 240 mm grew during six months. The EBR of the process 27 shown in FIG. 2 was separately and compared with a 150 mm diameter FZSC portion. Insulation of a quartz crucible from melt is possible in scheme of the process in a silicon skull is applicable. With such a scheme of the process, the diameter of the growing crystal decreases, and
we have pulled silicon rods with a diameter of 145-168 mm in process No. 21.
However, a study of the same sample by FTIR spectroscopy showed that the concentration of the controlled impurities along the crystal length increases. In the case of aluminum, which easily leaves the silicon melt in a vacuum, this fact clearly indicates the addition of impurities to the EBB during the process. This assumption was confirmed in the course of studying the wear of the surfaces of the cathode and the anode of an electron beam gun. The results of ingot monitoring No. 27 are shown in Fig. 3, where the N-HR sample is from a standard single crystal FZ, sample No. 3-2 is from the bottom of the grown EB, and sample No. 5-2 is from the melt residues.
It can be seen that the difference between the impurity concentration B; Na; Ta; W; K in N-HR (standard single crystal of silicon FZ, where the content of these impurities can not exceed 1E10 atoms / cm3), and the melt remains are very small. So, we analyze these kinds of impurities. For other impurities, the N-HR and N3-2 samples are very similar.
Conclusions: 1. As a result of the project, a business plan was developed that significantly changed the approach to entering the product into the market. The enterprise has started to implement the above-mentioned business plan both in parts, covering the work with suppliers and customers, and in the part concerning the localization of production.
2. EBRs with a diameter of more than 200 mm were obtained, which became an important technical task for the EBFZ project. 3. A high level of purity of the rods has been achieved, sources of additional potential impurities have been determined - the volume of the gas discharge and the beam of the electron beam gun; The gas-dynamic window, which secures the gas flow from the gun to the melt, has been designed and satisfactorily tested. 4. The developer implementing plans for the localization of production and marketing of products.
