Analysis of the meniscus in the horizontal ribbon growth process

We present a theoretical analysis of the existence and shape of the meniscus in the horizontal ribbon growth (HRG) process. The existence of the meniscus is required to prevent downward growth of the ribbon and its subsequent attachment to the crucible. Assuming that the existence of the meniscus is defined by hydrostatics, ribbon geometry and surface tension, we use the governing Young-Laplace equation to solve analytically for the shape of the meniscus. We then obtain the possible hydrostatically stable shapes that can be achieved in a silicon system, and found a strong effect of the melt height on the pinning conditions of the meniscus to the crucible. We t h e n perform an experimental observation of the meniscus in a prototype prove-of-concept set-up and show the main challenges involved in guaranteeing the stability of the meniscus in a real setting.