TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Method: The method further comprises growing the seed by chemical vapor deposition. The seed is a successor seed and the method further comprises applying a substantially randomly oriented polycrystalline silicon predecessor seed to silicon melt, where portions of the silicon melt condense on the predecessor seed; drawing the predecessor seed and attached condensed silicon melt away from the melt to form an ingot; and cutting the successor seed from the ingot. The baffle wafer comprises undoped polysilicon and the method further comprises disposing thermal buffer wafers in slots spaced from the first slots by the second slots toward an end of the support tower, where the thermal buffer wafers comprises a material other than undoped polysilicon. The support tower is a silicon tower and the method further comprises: disposing the silicon tower and the production and baffle wafers supported in a furnace including a silicon liner surrounding lateral sides of the support tower; heating the production and baffle wafers supported on the tower to an elevated temperature; and flowing a process gas through at least one silicon injector which has an outlet disposed between the tower and the liner to react with the production wafers in a hot zone of the furnace within the liner. The method of thermally processing silicon wafers further comprises the steps performed in second cycle of: disposing at least one other production wafer and the baffle wafer in first slots of the support tower, where the production wafer comprises monocrystalline silicon; and heating the support tower and wafers supported in the second cycle to thermally process the production wafer. Preferred Components: The seed is virgin polysilicon. The randomly orientated polycrystalline silicon seed comprises a chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-source polycrystalline silicon seed. The material of the thermal buffer wafers comprises quartz, silicon carbide or doped polysilicon. The tower, liner, injector, and the baffle wafers within the hot zone are free of material other than silicon. The baffle wafer comprises randomly oriented polycrystalline silicon, Czochralski (CZ) polysilicon or CVD-source CZ polysilicon. The non-production wafer has a thickness of 0.725-2 (preferably 0.725-1.5) mm and has both principal sides roughened, where both principal sides has sub-surface damage extending of at least 25 mu m from the principal sides. The polysilicon has randomly oriented crystallography, which is CZ polysilicon or CVD-source CZ polysilicon. The diameter of non-production wafer is 150, 200, 300 or 450 mm. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.