Wettability of Al2O3, MgO, and TiB2 Inclusions with Liquid Silicon

An experimental study was conducted to characterize the interaction between liquid silicon and refractory inclusions that are often present in silicon as solid inclusions. The investigation was carried out using the sessile drop technique. Contact angle measurements were performed for Al2O3, MgO, and TiB2 substrates, as a function of wetting time at 1420 °C, and as a function of temperature from 1420 °C to 1520 °C for each system. The interface between silicon and ceramic was also analyzed using SEM-EDS to investigate the nature of the interactions between the two phases. Such data is critical for evaluating the removability of ceramic impurities from crude silicon.