Factors Determining the Oxygen Content of Liquid Silicon at Its Melting Point

The oxygen content of liquid silicon increases proportionally to the oxygen content of the ambient helium-oxygen mixture for oxygen partial pressures pO2°<8 mm Hg. This observation is explained by the proportionality between the oxygen partial pressure pO2° in the ambient gas and the SiO partial pressure on the surface of liquid silicon. For pO2°>8 mm Hg the silicon melt is covered by a film of silica and asaturation value of about 2×1018 oxygen atoms per cm3 is observed in the crystallized sample.