A process for the production of columnarly grown blocks of silicon containing coarsely crystalline regions comprising cooling a silicon melt in a mold, selectively effecting solidification at the melt surface and advancing the solidification front downwardly. The blocks can be sawed into chips, useful for solar cells.

A cold crucible for melting and crystallizing non-metallic inorganic compounds having a cooled crucible wall in the form of metal pipes through which cooling medium flows which are in mechanical connection with the bottom of the crucible through which cooling medium also flows, and having an induction coil which surrounds the wall of the crucible and via which high frequency energy can be coupled in the contents of the crucible and having a second induction coil which can be controlled independently of the induction coil surrounding the wall of the crucible and which is provided below the bottom of the crucible, and having a crucible bottom consisting of a dielectric material.

Production of carbide shapes of silicon, titanium or vanadium by reaction of carbon with the metal in liquid phase such being carried out by heating a mixture of particles of carbon and particles of the metal rapidly to the melting point of the metal, thereby minimizing solid state reaction, and holding at a temperature and for a time sufficient to cause reaction. The metal and carbon particles are about 0.05 to 10 mm in diameter. An organic binder is used which volatilizes or dissociates upon heating.

A method for preparing a release coating and applying it to crucibles used to contain molten material while it solidifies, by mixing a release coating power with a dry organic binder into a powder and binder dry mixture, mixing a defoamer with a liquid into a liquid and defoamer mixture, mixing the dry mixture with the liquid and defoamer mixture into a wet release coating, sieving to remove lumps and particles, checking the viscosity, wet-spraying onto a crucible, evaporating the liquid from the wet release coating so as to leave a dry release coating on the crucible, and separating the binder from the dry release coating by thermal decomposition.