Measurement of minority carrier lifetime profiles in silicon

Schwab, G.-M.; Bernt, H.; Reichl, H.

doi:10.1016/0038-1101(77)90055-7

Cited by 32 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Otherwise only the lifetime of minority carriers in the substrate can be obtained. More recently Schwab et al (1977) have used a mercury contact as the Schottky barrier collector and have measured lifetime maps on both n-and p-type silicon slices.…”

Section: 32mentioning

confidence: 99%

The electrical characterisation of semiconductors

1978

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An important aspect of the large expansion in the development and production of solid-state devices has been the demand for more sophisticated techniques for determining the electrical properties of semiconductors, especially silicon and the 111-V compounds. A very wide range of measurement techniques now exists and it is the purpose of this article to review those techniques which are in widespread use or which show promise for future application, and at a time of continuing innovation in this area, to indicate present trends and material problems which may arise in the near future. T h e emphasis of the review is on the physics of the methods: detailed discussion of results on specific materials is avoided and it is assumed that the intrinsic material properties are well known. The review is therefore concerned with the assessment of the electrical effects of impurities and defects.Routine characterisation using the resistivity, Hall coefficient and magnetoresistance effects is reviewed and methods for determining the donor and acceptor impurity concentrations from the 77 K mobility or from the temperature dependence of the free carrier density are described. Current knowledge of the Hall scattering factor is summarised. A review is given of rapid resistivity measurement by four-point probe, spreading resistance and contactless methods. Depth profiling by spreading resistance probe on bevelled structures, and by layer removal using chemical etching, anodic oxidation and ion beam etching are also considered. A major development in the last 10 years has been the use of capacitance methods for material characterisation. T h e principal C-V methods for measuring dopant profiles are compared, and the limitations are examined in detail. Capacitance and thermally stimulated current methods for studying deep traps are reviewed and the interpretation of their results is discussed. There has been increasing concern in recent years with the minority carrier diffusion length and lifetime. Measurement of these properties by photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence, and diode current collection methods is reviewed and the MOS capacitance method for lifetime measurement is also described. The review concludes with a section on optical methods in which the use of luminescence for chemical identification of electrically active impurities is emphasised and direct measurement of properties such as carrier density and epitaxial layer thicknesses is described.

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Section: 32mentioning

confidence: 99%

The electrical characterisation of semiconductors

1978

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“…1m stand for real and imaginary parts, respectively. The diffusion constantD is put as 30 cm 2 Is. The values of LiTJ and t/> can be calculated numerically.…”

Section: _ Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of lifetime and diffusion constant of minority carriers by a phase-shift technique using an electron-beam-induced current

Fuyuki

Matsunami

1981

Journal of Applied Physics

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The lifetime and diffusion constant of minority carriers in Si have been determined by a phaseshift technique using an electron-beam-induced current (EBIC). The phase of an EBIC is shifted because of the recombination of minority carriers in a material when the intensity-modulated electron beam is used in the line scan method ofEBIC. The phase shift between the electron beam and the EBIC is clarified theoretically by solving the three-dimensional time-dependent diffusion equation. The phase shift increases linearly with the scanning distance. The relation between the phase shift and lifetime 1" was found to be expressed using the approximated solutions of the onedimensional diffusion equation with empirical correction factors. The normalized phase shift (i.e., the amount of the phase shift when the beam scans over one diffusion length) becomes a function of only OJ1" (OJ = 2rrJ, where f is modulation frequency). With the aid of a curve of the normalized phase shift vs OJ1", the lifetime and diffusion constant can be determined without any restriction for modulation frequency. Experimental results in Si showed good agreement with the theory.

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“…tation [8], par exemple), elles reposent moins sur la qualité (1) de la jonction pn -ou du contact utiliséde la cellule ; e enfin, de par leur principe même, elles sont aussi beaucoup plus faciles à exploiter d'une part sur un large domaine d'injection de porteurs, et d'autre part pour une étude séparée de l'émetteur et de la base des cellules solaires.…”

Section: T'unclassified

Mesures de la durée de vie des porteurs, dans la base et l'émetteur de cellules solaires au silicium, à partir des photoréponses transitoires à une impulsion laser

Gasset

Benzohra

Johan

et al. 1979

Rev. Phys. Appl. (Paris)

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Les possibilités des méthodes de mesure de durée de vie, reposant sur la décroissance des photocourants de court-circuit i(t) et à la fois sur la croissance et la décroissance des phototensions de circuit ouvert vco(t), sont étudiées en fonction des conditions d'excitation (durée, longueur d'onde, densité de porteurs excités) et des propriétés des cellules solaires (dimensions, nature des contacts, profil des dopages, courants à la jonction p-n). L'analyse des conditions de validité de ces méthodes est confrontée aux résultats expérimentaux obtenus avec des échantillons de type N+ P (d'épaisseur de base 350-450 03BCm) soumis à des impulsions laser de 2 à 60 ns de durée. L'étude montre que, pour 03BB = 1,06 03BCm, à la fois la durée de vie volumique et la durée de vie effective des porteurs minoritaires de la base, et leur évolution avec le niveau des porteurs, sont fournies par les réponses i(t). Pour 03BB = 0,53 03BCm, les réponses i*(t) donnent accès à la durée de vie opérationnelle des porteurs minoritaires créés dans l'émetteur et montrent l'influence des profils de dopage sur cette durée de vie. Une valeur approchée de cette même durée de vie est également fournie par la croissance des signaux vco(t), quelle que soit la longueur d'onde 03BB utilisée. Les conditions d'injection au niveau de la jonction p-n et les phénomènes de piégeages temporaires limitent par contre les conditions sous lesquelles la décroissance des tensions transitoires peut donner la durée de vie des porteurs minoritaires dans la base.Abstract. -Carrier lifetime measurements from the short-circuit photocurrent i(t) decay and both the decay and increase of open-circuit photovoltage vco(t) are studied by taking into account the conditions of the pulse excitation (duration, wavelength, intensity) and the solar cell properties (base width, back contact, emitter doping profile, p-n junction currents). The theoretical analysis and conditions of validity of the above measurement methods are compared with the experimental results obtained with N+P cells of W = 350 and 450 03BCm base width submitted to laser pulses of 2 and 60 ns. When using penetrating 1.06 03BCm pulses, the i(t) decay gives the values and variations with carrier injection level of carrier bulk lifetime and/or effective lifetime in the cell base. The i*(t) response to strongly absorbed 0.53 03BCm pulse lead to the operative carrier lifetime in the cell emitter and show the influences that the doping profile may have. An approximated value of the latter lifetime may be deduced from the vco(t) increase whatever the pulse wavelength used. But injection conditions at the junction p-n and temporary trapping phenomena narrow the conditions for which the voltage vco(t) decay gives a measurement of the minority carrier lifetime in the cell base.

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Measurement of minority carrier lifetime profiles in silicon

Cited by 32 publications

References 5 publications

The electrical characterisation of semiconductors

The electrical characterisation of semiconductors

Determination of lifetime and diffusion constant of minority carriers by a phase-shift technique using an electron-beam-induced current

Mesures de la durée de vie des porteurs, dans la base et l'émetteur de cellules solaires au silicium, à partir des photoréponses transitoires à une impulsion laser

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