Conical graphite electrode with raised edge

• US 9,150,420 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacker Chemie AG (Dr. Alexander Wacker Familiengesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung)
• Original Assignee: Wacker Chemie AG (Dr. Alexander Wacker Familiengesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung)
• Inventors: Kraus, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung D
• Application Number:
  US13/032,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20110226628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 373/36, 373/37, 373/38, 373/54, 373/55, 373/88, 373/91, 373/92, 204/284, 204/206, 205/157, 117/218, 117/911, 117/87, 219/541, 118/724, 118/725, 427/543, 423/348, 423/349
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 33/035 by decomposition or reduction of gaseous or vaporised silicon compounds in the presence of heated filaments of silicon, carbon or a refractory metal, e.g. tantalum or tungsten, or in the presence of heated silicon rods on which the formed silicon is deposited, a silicon rod being obtained, e.g. Siemens process
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 1/33 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 11/043 Carbon, e.g. diamond or graphene
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A carbon electrode has a conical or pyramidal tip, wherein the tip is surrounded on its side by a raised edge.

Claims

1. An electrode comprising carbon having a specific thermal conductivity from 20 to 200 W/(m*K), said electrode comprising:

a main body having a cross-section defining a base surface of the electrode; and

a conical or pyramidal tip comprising a device having a cavity adapted to receive a filament rod adapted to grow in size, the conical or pyramidal tip including a top and a base radially outside and longitudinally below the top,

wherein the conical or pyramidal tip is surrounded by at least one raised edge radially outside and longitudinally above the base of the conical or pyramidal tip,

wherein the raised edge is adapted to avoid collapse of the electrode during a deposition process whereby the filament rod grows in a deposition reactor due to sol silicon deposition on the filament rod, wherein the electrode comprises a plurality of zones of different materials with different specific thermal conductivities, the specific thermal conductivities of materials increasing from the inside outward, and wherein at least one inner zone is a loose or replaceable insert.

2. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one raised edge ends above, below or at the same height as the tip of the electrode.

3. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper end of the at least one raised edge has a form that is acute, rounded, oblique or flat.

4. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tip of the electrode has an offset in a range of from greater than 0 mm to 20 mm in relation to a midpoint of the base of the electrode.

5. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein inner zones are connected to a respective closest outer zone by a plug connection.

6. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein the zones have a common thermal and electrical contact.

7. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrode is coupled to a heat sink at a base of the electrode.

8. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrode comprises highly pure or ultrapure electrographite with different thermal conductivities.

9. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrode comprises carbon material having at least one of the following parameters:

a) a specific thermal conductivity of 20 to 90 W/(m*K),

b) an electrical resistivity of 30 to μ

ohm*m,

c) an arithmetic mean roughness value of a surface roughness Ra 1 to 20 μ

m with an overall height of a roughness profile Rt between 10 and 200 μ

m and an averaged roughness depth Rz between 8 and 160 μ

m,

d) a compressive strength 40 to 250 MPa,

e) a flexural strength 10 to 100 MPa,

f) a Young'"'"'s modulus 1 to 20 GPa,

g) a linear thermal expansion coefficient, in a temperature range of from 20 to 1000°

C., of 2*10<sup>−

6</sup> to 10*10<sup>−

6</sup> 1/K, and

h) open porosity 5 to 25%.

10. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one raised edge is at least 15 mm longitudinally above the base of the conical or pyramidal tip.

11. The electrode as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one raised edge ends with a height within 25 mm of a height of the tip of the electrode.

12. A method for producing polycrystalline silicon by depositing highly pure elementary silicon from a gas phase onto a surface of silicon rods, wherein at least one of the silicon rods is held in a deposition reactor by an electrode comprising carbon having a specific thermal conductivity from 20 to 200 W/(m*K), said electrode comprising:

a main body having a cross-section defining a base surface of the electrode; and

a conical or pyramidal tip comprising a device having a cavity adapted to receive a filament rod adapted to grow in size, the conical or pyramidal tip including a top and a base radially outside and longitudinally below the top,

wherein the conical or pyramidal tip is surrounded by at least one raised edge radially outside and longitudinally above the base of the conical or pyramidal tip,

wherein the raised edge is adapted to avoid collapse of the electrode during a deposition process whereby the filament rod grows in a deposition reactor due to polysilicon deposition on the filament rod,

wherein the electrode comprises a plurality of zones of different materials with different specific thermal conductivities, the specific thermal conductivities of materials increasing from the inside outward,

and wherein at least one inner zone is a loose or replaceable insert.

13. An electrode comprising carbon having a specific thermal conductivity from 20 to 200 W/(m*K), said electrode comprising:

a main body having a cross section defining a base surface of the electrode; and

a conical or pyramidal tip comprising a device having a cavity adapted to receive a filament rod adapted to grow in size, the conical or pyramidal tip including a top and a base radially outside and longitudinally below the top,

wherein the conical or pyramidal tip is surrounded by at least one raised edge radially outside and at least 15 mm longitudinally above the base of the conical or pyramidal tip, and

wherein the raised edge is adapted to avoid collapse of the electrode during a deposition process whereby the filament rod grows in a deposition reactor due to polysilicon deposition on the filament rod, wherein the electrode comprises a plurality of zones of different materials with different specific thermal conductivities, the specific thermal conductivities of materials increasing from the inside outward, and wherein at least one inner zone is a loose or replaceable insert.

14. The electrode as claimed in claim 13, wherein an upper end of the at least one raised edge has a form that is acute, rounded, oblique or flat.

15. The electrode as claimed in claim 13, wherein inner zones are connected to a respective closest outer zone by a plug connection.

16. The electrode as claimed in claim 13, wherein the zones have a common thermal and electrical contact.

17. The electrode as claimed in claim 13, wherein the electrode is coupled to a heat sink at a base of the electrode.