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The silicon shortage has generated considerable interest in achieving a true solar grade silicon. Conventional silicon purification techniques, however, have not yielded an economically viable solution. 6N Silicon has introduced new processes to the solar industry tool box. These new processes leverage knowledge from other, much larger, metal processing industries.
Only a few years ago, a viable market for solar grade silicon did not exist. Solar industry demand was fully satisfied with semiconductor industry scrap silicon. With the massive new demand comes new insight from other industries. This is the 6N story.
The 6N Silicon primary advantage is the ability to make a true solar grade silicon product. Achieving purity levels alone, however, does not make for a viable product. Semiconductor silicon is more than pure enough for the solar industry. While it is critical, achieving high purity level alone will not solve the silicon shortage.
Leveraging extensive knowledge from much larger metal processing industries, 6N's approach is distinguished by dramatically lower capital equipment costs, very low production costs, rapid expansion capability, and a wide flexibility in factory location.
The 6N process has dramatically lower energy requirements, a much smaller footprint and very low environmental impact. These process attributes enable the use of warehouse-type facilities in convenient locations. This is a considerable advantage over the highly specialized industrial plants with large settling ponds that span across many hectares in isolated locations that are required for other approaches.
6N's technology yields required purities for the PV industry without sacrificing flexibility or economics.
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