Peak Sun Silicon - A Better Way to Make Silicon

Solar energy is the cleanest, most abundant, renewable energy source available in the world today. The global solar energy market has grown more than 25% annually over the last 10 years, and in the United States the market grew over 30% in 2009. 

Silicon

Silicon is the main component in crystalline solar cells, the dominant form of solar cells on the market today.

Peak Sun Silicon, a development stage corporation founded by Dr. John Schumacher and Stephen J. Schumacher is in business to commercialize a process for production of silicon that is lower in cost and easier to use than silicon manufactured using the 60 year old incumbent technology (the Siemens Process) invented for the semiconductor industry.

The "Schumacher Process"

Peak Sun’s process differs from the incumbent process in several respects. At commercial scale, a Schumacher Process plant is expected to have a significantly lower capital cost, and greater than 25% production cost advantage over a newly constructed Siemens plant (operated efficiently) because

(i) tribromosilane (TBS) reacts at significantly lower temperatures (800°C vs. 1200°C) than trichlorosilane (TCS), and

(ii) the use of a fluidized bed (FB) reactor permits continuous, rather than batch operation.

An additional differentiator is the form of the product produced in the FB reactor which is relatively uniform in size beads, often referred to as “bead” or granular silicon. Schumacher granular silicon has demonstrated  superior melting properties in monocrystalline ingoting, as well as packing and shipping benefits.  

Peak Sun Silicon

• Convenient granular form rather than irregular chunk silicon
• No oxidation or internal gas pockets like the ones found in other FB reactor silicon
• Lower operating temperature of Schumacher Process means shorter time to energy payback
• No hazardous waste or explosive polymers make Peak Sun's silicon the most environmentally friendly
• Facilitates next wave manufacturing technologies such as continuous melt replenishment Czochralski ingot pulling 
• Low CapEx and OpEx