A method of hydrogenating a halosilane comprises: contacting a halosilane having the formula HaSiX(4-a), wherein a has a value of 0 to 4, and each X is independently a halogen atom and wherein if a is 0, the halosilane further comprises a hydrogen source, with a catalyst composition comprising at least two different metals, wherein the at least two different metals are selected from Cu and one of Co, Fe, Ni, and Pd; wherein the ratio of Cu to the second metal in the catalyst composition is 90:10 to 10:90; wherein the contacting is conducted at a temperature sufficient to hydrogenate a halosilane; and wherein an increase in the amount of halosilane hydrogenated is observed as compared to a method with a catalyst composition comprising one metal at the same overall loading of metal in the catalyst composition.

The present invention relates to a process for producing of polycrystalline silicon, and the method includes (1) preparing a silicon-containing gas; (2) storing the silicon-containing gas in a storage tank; (3) depositing polycrystalline silicon by injecting the silicon-containing gas stored in the storage tank to a CVD reactor; (4) treating an off-gas emitted in the depositing step; and (5) injecting the gas treated in the treating step to the storage tank.

A process for preparing a product including a monohydrogentrihalosilane is disclosed. The process includes the steps of: 1) initially charging a reactor with a contact mass including both fresh silicon and recycled contact mass, where the recycled contact mass is obtained from during or after a production phase of an inorganic Direct Process reaction for production of a monohydrogentrihalosilane; and thereafter 2) feeding to the reactor a hydrogen halide and additional fresh silicon, thereby forming the product.

A method of manufacturing trichlorosilane includes a conversion reaction process (first reaction process) for producing a first reaction product gas, which contains trichlorosilane, dichlorosilylene, hydrogen chloride, and high-order silane compounds, by performing a conversion reaction of silicon tetrachloride and hydrogen, which are raw materials, in a first temperature range that is equal to or higher than 1000 C. and equal to or lower than 1900 C.; a first cooling process for cooling the first reaction product gas to a temperature of 950 C. or lower within 1 sec (except that the first reaction product gas is cooled to a temperature lower than 600 C. within 0.01 sec); a second reaction process for maintaining the temperature of the first reaction product gas in a second temperature range, which is equal to or higher than 600 C. and equal to or lower than 950 C., during the time that is equal to or more than 0.01 sec and equal to or less than 5 sec; and a second cooling process for cooling a second reaction product gas, which has been subjected to the second reaction process, to a temperature lower than 600 C.

According to one embodiment, a treatment method for treating a mixture containing one or both of halosilanes and hydrolysates of the halosilanes is provided. The method includes bringing the mixture into contact with a treatment liquid. The treatment liquid has a pH of 8 to 14. The treatment liquid has a mass corresponding to 100 times or more a mass of the mixture.

A column includes a column head, a column sump and a tube-shaped column shell disposed therebetween, two or more reaction zones lying above each other which each accommodate a catalyst bed, in which catalyst beds chlorosilanes disproportionate into low-boiling silanes, which form an ascending stream of gas, and also into high-boiling silanes which form a downwardly directed stream of liquid, within the column shell and along the column axis, two or more rectificative separation zones, the reaction zones and the separation zones alternate along the column axis, the separation zones are configured such that the stream of gas and the stream of liquid meet in the separation zones, and the reaction zones are configured such that the downwardly directed stream of liquid is led through the catalyst beds, whereas the upwardly directed stream of gas passes the catalyst beds in spatial separation from the stream of liquid.

The lifetime of a fluidized bed reactor containing silicon particles, for the production of chlorosilanes is greatly extended by armoring at least a portion of the reactor shell interior wall with expanded metal coated with a cement containing ceramic particles.

A process for preparing a reaction product including a halosilane includes: contacting an unsaturated hydrocarbyl halide and a ternary intermetallic compound at a temperature of 300 C. to 700 C. to form the reaction product. The ternary intermetallic compound includes copper, silicon and a transition metal. The halosilane in the reaction product has formula R1.sub.mR.sup.2.sub.nH.sub.oSiX.sub.(4mno)> where each R.sup.1 is independently a saturated monovalent hydrocarbyl group, each R.sup.2 is independently an unsaturated monovalent hydrocarbyl group; each X is independently a halogen atom; subscript m is 1, 2, or 3; subscript n is 0, 1, or 2; subscript o is 0, 1, or 2; and a quantity (m+n+o) is 1, 2, or 3. At least a portion of the unsaturated hydrocarbyl groups in the unsaturated hydrocarbyl halide are converted to saturated hydrocarbyl groups (R.sup.1) in the halosilane.

A method is useful for maintaining a uniformly fluidized bed in a fluidized bed apparatus. The method includes the steps of charging a mixture of particles including copper silicide particles and fluidization additive particles into the fluidized bed apparatus, and uniformly fluidizing the particles at a temperature of at least 400 C. in the fluidized bed apparatus.

A silicon granule, in particular, for the preparation of trichlorosilane, having a size of between 10 and 500 microns, and comprising: dopants in a weight fraction of less than 5 ppm; at least one co-catalyst selected from copper, iron, aluminum and calcium, in a weight fraction of between 1 and 2500 ppm; and metallic impurities, with exclusion of the at least one co-catalyst, in a weight fraction of less than 50 ppm.