Modelling free-surface dynamics in the Ribbon Growth on Substrate process (RGS)

The Ribbon Growth on Substrate (RGS) technology is a promising technology that allows the controlled, high crystallization rate production of silicon wafers and advanced metal-silicide alloys. In order to optimize this process, insights from modelling the
liquid metal flow are very desirable. The RGS process is dominated by a time-dependent, three-dimensional free-surface flow of the processed melt under the influence of electromagnetic forces. Thereby, main flow structures and possible instabilities strongly depend
on the melt shape. We have developed a new numerical multiphysics-software within the OpenFOAM (extensions) framework, which allows us to efficiently simulate hydrodynamic and electrodynamic effects and their interaction.