"Silicon metal" (also known as industrial silicon) is a commodity name show up in the mid-1960s. Its emergence and the rise of the semiconductor industry. At present, the international common practice commodity silicon into silicon metal and semiconductor silicon. Silicon metal into quartz and coke in the electric furnace smelting products, the silicon content of the principal component (In recent years, with 99.99% of the Si content in the silicon metal) in about 98%, the remaining impurities as iron, aluminum , calcium. The semiconductor silicon of high purity silicon metal for the production of semiconductor devices. Is polycrystalline and single crystal form of sale, the former is cheap, the latter is expensive. Because its use is classified for a variety of specifications. According to statistics, in 1985 the world total consumption of about 500,000 tons of silicon metal, of which about 60% for aluminum silicon metal for less than 30% of silicone used in the semiconductor of about 3% and the rest for iron and steel smelting and precision ceramics.

Silicon is a semi-metallic one, formerly known as the "Silicon. The melting point of 1420 ° C, a density of 2.34 g / cm 3. Hard and brittle. At room temperature, do not dissolve in acid, soluble in alkali. The nature of the metal silicon and germanium, lead, tin, similar to a semiconductor nature. Silicon in the Earth's crust resources is extremely rich, second only to oxygen, accounting for crustal total weight of the quarter is also strong in the form of silica or silicate. The most pure silicon mineral is quartz or silica. Silicon has two allotropes: a dark brown amorphous silicon powder, lively nature can burn in the air; a stable crystal (crystalline silicon). Silica and quartz glass and other building materials, high-quality quartz for the production of alloys, metals and single crystals.

Silicon is used extensively for smelting into silicon ferroalloys for alloying elements in the steel industry as a reducing agent in a variety of metal smelting. Good elements in silicon or aluminum alloy, the vast majority of the cast aluminum alloy containing silicon. Silicon is the raw materials of the electronics industry ultrapure silicon, ultrapure semiconductor single crystal silicon electronic devices has the advantages of small size, light weight, reliability and long life. Mixed with a specific trace impurities in the silicon single crystal made of high-power transistors, rectifiers and solar cells, made of germanium single crystal. In recent years the progress of amorphous silicon solar cell research soon, the conversion rate reached more than 8%. The maximum operating temperature of the silicon molybdenum rod heating elements up to 1700 ℃, the resistance to aging is not easy and good oxidation resistance. Silicon production of trichlorosilane, the preparation of hundreds of silicone lubricant and waterproofing compounds. In addition, silicon carbide for abrasive, high-purity silica quartz tube produced an important material for high-purity metal smelting and lighting. Paper in the eighties - the silicon people said silicon as a "paper" of the eighties. This is because the only record information on paper, silicon is not only able to record information, but also process the information processing in order to obtain new information. Manufactured in 1945, the world's first electronic computer, equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, the whole machine weighs 30 tons, covering an area of ​​170 square meters, equivalent to 10 house size. Today's computer, due to advances in technology and materials to improve silicon chip a fingernail size, can accommodate tens of thousands of transistors; and a series of functions of the input, output, computing, storage and control information. Microporous calcium silicate insulation materials microporous calcium silicate insulation material is an excellent insulation material. It has small heat capacity, high mechanical strength, low thermal conductivity, does not burn, non-toxic and tasteless, can be cut, easy to transport and other characteristics can be widely used in metallurgy, electric power, chemicals, ships, and other thermal equipment and piping. After testing by metal powder supplier, energy efficiency than insulation materials such as asbestos, cement, vermiculite and cement perlite. Special calcium silicate can be used as a catalyst carrier, and in petroleum refining, automobile exhaust purification, and many other widely used.

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