APPARATUS INCLUDING A PLASMA TORCH FOR PURIFYING A SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL

摘要

The invention relates to an apparatus (10) for purifying a semiconductor material (44), which includes at least a chamber containing an atmosphere of at least one inert gas. The apparatus comprises: in the chamber, a crucible (30) intended to contain the semiconductor material in the molten state; a plasma torch (40) intended to remove impurities from the molten semiconductor material in the crucible; and a confinement system (50) intended to define a confinement volume (69) between the crucible and the plasma torch, the confinement system comprising a device (54) for evacuating gaseous compounds and/or particles resulting from the purification of the molten silicon. The evacuation device comprises at least one suction aperture (70) having a cylindrical portion (72) extended by a flared portion (76) opening into the confinement volume.