Diffusion along Small-Angle Grain Boundaries in Silicon

Queisser, H. J.; Hübner, Kurt; Shockley, W.

doi:10.1103/physrev.123.1245

Cited by 93 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In the past, it was already shown that P atoms can diffuse preferentially along grain boundaries, [13][14][15] and evidence was shown that the phenomenon has a crucial impact on carrier collection. To explain the differences between a homojunction and a heterojunction, we developed a model based on preferential diffusion of P dopant atoms along the grain boundaries.…”

Section: B Preferential P Diffusion Along Grain Boundaries In the Homentioning

confidence: 99%

High open-circuit voltage values on fine-grained thin-film polysilicon solar cells

Carnel

Gordon

Gestel

et al. 2006

Journal of Applied Physics

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Grain boundaries are known to be the main limiting factor for a high performance of polysilicon solar cells. Defects at these grain boundaries serve as recombination centers for minority and majority carriers. Grain boundaries are also known to be paths for enhanced hydrogen diffusion, which results in passivation of part of the defects. In this paper, we show that grain boundaries are also paths for an enhanced phosphorus diffusion that limits the effect of hydrogen passivation. Phosphorus spikes along the grain boundaries enhance the junction area and determine the collection and the recombination volumes. Avoiding this preferential diffusion of phosphorus atoms during emitter formation, we obtained open-circuit voltages (Voc) up to 536mV on polysilicon material with a grain size of only 0.2μm. These high Voc values can only be accounted for by theory if a much smaller grain boundary recombination velocity is assumed than what was previously accepted for p-n junctions on fine-grained polysilicon solar cells.

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Section: B Preferential P Diffusion Along Grain Boundaries In the Homentioning

confidence: 99%

High open-circuit voltage values on fine-grained thin-film polysilicon solar cells

Carnel

Gordon

Gestel

et al. 2006

Journal of Applied Physics

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“…A critical dislocation density of 10 6 1/cm 2 is detected, which can be seen as the minimum dislocation density leading to a lowered lifetime compared with nondislocated surroundings. Lattice defects like dislocations and grain boundaries can enhance impurity diffusion since activation energy for migrating atoms can be lowered in these regions depending on the type of foreign atom [33], [34]. On the contrary, they might also serve as internal gettering sites with dangling bonds and vacancies that attract and facilitate precipitation of impurities [6], [35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of Phosphorus Gettering and Hydrogenation in Multicrystalline Silicon

Gindner

Karzel

Herzog

et al. 2014

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Abstract-The emitter formation step (POCl 3 diffusion) in p-type crystalline silicon solar cell processing includes many variables, e.g., peak temperature, gas flows, temperature ramps, which can be optimized in order to improve material quality. Diffusion parameters of an 80-Ω/ emitter are varied, and the resulting change in electronic quality of multicrystalline silicon is analyzed. A detailed gettering analysis of multicrystalline material, surface passivated with hydrogen-rich amorphous silicon, after POCl 3 diffusion, and an additional gettering step combined with hydrogenation from SiN x :H is presented. The industrial-type diffusion leads to material of lower electronic quality than the extended reference diffusion. A major finding of this paper is the fact that results on different 5 × 5 cm 2 samples out of one 15.6 × 15.6 cm 2 wafer can vary significantly. Hence, conclusions about which diffusion is most efficient in gettering strongly depend on wafer position. An edge position close to crucible walls, for example, might improve less effectively than another position close to the crucible center. In fact, the opposite can also be shown, and samples originating from edge regions reach their highest lifetimes after gettering. This is explained by the different defect structure of the investigated samples. Structures exhibiting high gettering efficacy contain fewer recombination active grain boundaries and are predominantly free of extended defect clusters.

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“…However, in the experiment of Hubner and Shockley, the effective boundary temperature was 77 K, and the characteristics of the boundary were not necessarily the same as a t lower temperatures. Also, the samples in the phonon-drag experiment were doped with impurities which are known t o concentrate at grain boundaries [28], depending upon the rate of quenching. Such impurities are known [29] to perturb the electron energy levels a t dislocations in germanium, and may have a similar perturbing effect a t a grain boundary in silicon.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phonon Scattering at a Low‐Angle Grain Boundary in Silicon

Roth¹,

Anderson²

1979

Physica Status Solidi (b)

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The propagation of ballistic thermal phonons through a single low-angle grain boundary in pure silicon is observed a t equivalent temperatures of 2 to 20 K. 90 scattering of phonons b y the boundary can be detected.Die Fortpflanzung ballistischer thermischer Phononen von 2 bis 20 K aquivalenter Temperatur, die unter kleinem Winkel auf eine einzelne Korngrenze in Silizium auftreffen, wird beobachtet. Phononenstreuung an der Grenzflache kann nicht festgestellt werden.

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Diffusion along Small-Angle Grain Boundaries in Silicon

Cited by 93 publications

References 24 publications

High open-circuit voltage values on fine-grained thin-film polysilicon solar cells

High open-circuit voltage values on fine-grained thin-film polysilicon solar cells

Efficacy of Phosphorus Gettering and Hydrogenation in Multicrystalline Silicon

Phonon Scattering at a Low‐Angle Grain Boundary in Silicon

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