Pulsed, green laser irradiation of uncoated p-type silicon leads to a significant reduction of the effective minority carrier lifetime. The reason for the lifetime drop lies in the introduction of recombination centres into the laser melted and recrystallized surface layer, leading to a low local minority carrier lifetime τ ≈ 10 ns inside this surface layer. The laser treatment introduces the impurities oxygen, carbon and nitrogen into the silicon and further leads to an n-type doping of the surface layer. There are strong indications that these impurities are responsible for the observed n-type doping, as well as the lifetime reduction after irradiation. Both effects are removed by thermal annealing. An estimate shows that the low local lifetime does nevertheless not affect the performance of industrial or contacted selective solar cell emitter structures.
Spot laser melting of monocrystalline silicon leads to characteristic surface structures that are defined by a peak and a quasi-periodic ripple structure. The structures are created by a 50–100 μs pulsed infrared fiber laser and are approximately 30–100 μm in size. We present an analytical model explaining the creation of the peak by the density anomaly of silicon. Additionally, we show that the quasi-periodic ripple structure stems from a frozen capillary wave, which allows us to determine the resolidification velocity from the ripple radii. For a structure of molten radius Rmelt=41.5μm, we determine a resolidification velocity vre=56.6±9.2cm/s. A numerical model for the same structure yields vre=49.2cm/s, which agrees with the value determined from the ripple pattern. The capillary wave is excited in the melt pool due to thermocapillary convection.
Laser processing of monocrystalline silicon has become an important tool for a wide range of applications. Here, we use microsecond spot laser melting as a model experiment to investigate the generation of crystal defects and residual stress. Using Micro-Raman spectroscopy, defect etching, and transmission electron microscopy, we find no dislocations in the recrystallized volume for cooling rates exceeding |dT/dt|=2×107 K/s, and the samples remain free of residual stress. For cooling rates less than |dT/dt|=2×107 K/s, however, the experiments show a sharp transition to a defective microstructure that is rich in dislocations and residual stress. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy indicates dislocation loops, stacking-fault tetrahedra, and voids within the recrystallized volume, thereby indicating supersaturation of intrinsic point defects during recrystallization. Complementing photoluminescence spectroscopy indicates even three regimes with decreasing cooling rate. Spectra of regime 1 do not contain any defect related spectral lines. In regime 2, spectral lines appear related to point defect clusters. In regime 3, the spectral lines related to point defect clusters vanish, but dislocation-related ones appear. We propose a quantitative model explaining the transition from dislocation-free to dislocation-rich recrystallization by means of the interaction between intrinsic point defects and dislocations.
In this study we present a new measurement technique to investigate the timescales of back side ablation of conductive films, using Molybdenum as an application example from photovoltaics. With ultrashort laser pulses at fluences below 0.6 J/cm(2), we ablate the Mo film in the shape of a fully intact Mo 'disc' from a transparent substrate. By monitoring the time-dependent current flow across a specifically developed test structure, we determine the time required for the lift-off of the disc. This value decreases with increasing laser fluence down to a minimum of 21 ± 2 ns. Furthermore, we record trajectories of the discs using a shadowgraphic setup. Ablated discs escape with a maximum velocity of 150 ± 5 m/s whereas droplets of Mo forming at the center of the disc can reach velocities up to 710 ± 11 m/s.
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