For 18 years, Steve Verschoor worked at Applied Materials in Santa Clara, California, serving in various roles before leaving to co-found GTSP Global in 2006. Functioning as GTSP’s head of sales, Steve Verschoor is responsible for securing business contracts for the company’s polysilicon product.
Polysilicon is a highly refined form of silicon used to make solar photovoltaic cells as well as semiconductors for computers, smartphones, and electric cars. It is formed from quartzite, a type of sandstone rock containing 90-99 percent quartz. The quartzite is first combined with carbon in an arc furnace to produce metallurgical grade silicon, which is then treated with hydrochloric acid to form trichlorosilane. The trichlorosilane is then reacted with hydrogen to get polysilicon with a purity of 99.999 percent or above.
Most of the world’s polysilicon (over 90 percent) is used to make solar photovoltaic panels. Less than 10 percent is used to make semiconductors. However, it is the semiconductor industry that uses the highest-purity polysilicon (99.999999 percent pure). Solar panel manufacturers are more lenient and can use polysilicon that is 99.9999 percent pure.
Steve Verschoor 