Micrometer-Scale Deep-Level Spectral Photoluminescence From Dislocations in Multicrystalline Silicon

Nguyen, Hieu T.; Rougieux, Fiacre; Wang, Fan; Tan, Hark Hoe; Macdonald, Daniel

doi:10.1109/jphotov.2015.2407158

Cited by 31 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The characteristic wavelength reported in the literature for the D4 line is consistent with our observed 1230 nm peak in Fig. 2, whereas the characteristic wavelength corresponding to the D3 is slightly lower than the literature value reported to vary between 1290 and 1305 nm depending on the relative position around dislocation sites [25]. We are not able to observe these luminescence peaks at all on unprocessed silicon, and therefore, we can reasonably conclude that the two deep-level peaks at 1230 and 1280 nm observed in Fig.…”

Section: Pl Spectra Of Excimer Laser-damaged Silicon Substratesupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The locations of these two deep-level peaks are close to the so-called D4 and D3 lines, which are emitted from intrinsic dislocations in crystalline silicon and are particularly observable near liquid nitrogen temperatures [25,26]. The characteristic wavelength reported in the literature for the D4 line is consistent with our observed 1230 nm peak in Fig.…”

Section: Pl Spectra Of Excimer Laser-damaged Silicon Substratesupporting

confidence: 90%

“…The spectral response of the entire system was determined with a calibrated tungsten halogen lamp. A more detailed description of this µ-PLS system setup and measurement configuration has been described previously by Nguyen et al [18,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low-temperature micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy on laser-doped silicon with different surface conditions

et al. 2016

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Low-temperature micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy (μ-PLS) is applied to investigate shallow layers of laser-processed silicon for solar cell applications. Micron-scale measurement (with spatial resolution down to 1 μm) enables investigation of the fundamental impact of laser processing on the electronic properties of silicon as a function of position within the laser-processed region, and in particular at specific positions such as at the boundary/ edge of processed and unprocessed regions. Low-temperature μ-PLS enables qualitative analysis of laser-processed regions by identifying PLS signals corresponding to both laser-induced doping and laser-induced damage. We show that the position of particular luminescence peaks can be attributed to band-gap narrowing corresponding to different levels of subsurface laser doping, which is achieved via multiple 248 nm nanosecond excimer laser pulses with fluences in the range 1.5-4 J/cm 2 and using commercially available boron-rich spin-on-dopant precursor films. We demonstrate that characteristic defect PL spectra can be observed subsequent to laser doping, providing evidence of laser-induced crystal damage. The impact of laser parameters such as fluence and number of repeat pulses on laserinduced damage is also analyzed by observing the relative level of defect PL spectra and absolute luminescence intensity. Luminescence owing to laser-induced damage is observed to be considerably larger at the boundaries of laser-doped regions than at the centers, highlighting the significant role of the edges of laser-doped region on laser doping quality. Furthermore, by comparing the damage signal observed after laser processing of two different substrate surface conditions (chemically-mechanically polished and tetramethylammonium hydroxide etched), we show that wafer preparation can be an important factor impacting the quality of laser-processed silicon and solar cells.

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Section: Pl Spectra Of Excimer Laser-damaged Silicon Substratesupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Pl Spectra Of Excimer Laser-damaged Silicon Substratesupporting

confidence: 90%

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Low-temperature micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy on laser-doped silicon with different surface conditions

et al. 2016

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“…In recent years, with the advent of micro‐photoluminescence spectroscopy (μ‐PLS) tools, equipped with confocal optics, microstructures in Si wafers and solar cells can be investigated with very high spatial resolution, enabling the study of dislocation clusters, grain boundaries, metal and oxide precipitates, and locally laser‐doped regions . Currently, there are several μ‐PLS‐based methods to assess doping densities of heavily‐doped layers in c‐Si wafers and solar cells, proposed by different authors .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of Sheet Resistance in Boron‐Diffused Silicon Using Micro‐Photoluminescence Spectroscopy at Room Temperature

et al. 2017

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A micro‐photoluminescence‐based technique is presented, to quantify and map sheet resistances of boron‐diffused layers in silicon solar cell precursors with micron‐scale spatial resolution at room temperature. The technique utilizes bandgap narrowing effects in the heavily‐doped layers, yielding a broader photoluminescence spectrum at the long‐wavelength side compared to the spectrum emitted from lightly doped silicon. By choosing an appropriate spectral range as a metric to assess the doping density, the impacts of photon reabsorption on the analysis can be avoided; thus, an accurate characterization of the sheet resistance can be made. This metric is demonstrated to be better representative of the sheet resistance than the surface doping density or the total dopant concentration of the diffused layer. The technique is applied to quantify sheet resistances of 12‐μm‐wide diffused fingers in interdigitated back‐contact solar cell precursors and large diffused areas. The results are confirmed by both 4‐point probe and time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry measurements. Finally, the practical limitations associated with extending the proposed technique into an imaging mode are presented and explained.

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“…They reduce the carrier lifetime of silicon materials in both the dissolved state and the precipitated state, and are thus detrimental to silicon solar cells . Knowledge of the metal concentrations in silicon materials is also significant for the studies of other defects, including light and elevated temperature‐induced degradation, decorated crystal defects such as dislocations and grain boundaries, copper‐related light‐induced degradation, boron‐oxygen‐related defects, ring defects, and so on. The metal concentrations in multicrystalline silicon (mc‐Si) ingots have been successfully determined by applying neutron activation analysis in previous studies .…”

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confidence: 99%

Transition Metals in a Cast‐Monocrystalline Silicon Ingot Studied by Silicon Nitride Gettering

Sun

Liu

Samadi

et al. 2019

Physica Rapid Research Ltrs

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The concentrations of Cr, Fe, Ni, and Cu in a cast‐monocrystalline silicon ingot grown for solar cell applications are reported. Wafers taken from along the ingot are coated with silicon nitride films and annealed, causing mobile impurities to be gettered to the films. Secondary ion mass spectrometry is applied to measure the metal content in the silicon nitride films. The bulk concentrations of the gettered metals in samples along the ingot are found to be: Cr (3.3 × 1010–3.3 × 1011 cm−3), Fe (3.2 × 1011–2.5 × 1012 cm−3), Ni (1.5 × 1012–1.3 × 1013 cm−3), and Cu (7.1 × 1011–3.2 × 1013 cm−3). For each metal, the lower limit is measured on the wafer from the middle of the ingot, and the higher limit is measured on wafers from the bottom or the top. The results are compared with similar data recently measured on a high‐performance multicrystalline silicon ingot. The results provide insights into the total bulk concentrations of the metals in cast‐grown ingots.

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Micrometer-Scale Deep-Level Spectral Photoluminescence From Dislocations in Multicrystalline Silicon

Cited by 31 publications

References 28 publications

Low-temperature micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy on laser-doped silicon with different surface conditions

Low-temperature micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy on laser-doped silicon with different surface conditions

Quantification of Sheet Resistance in Boron‐Diffused Silicon Using Micro‐Photoluminescence Spectroscopy at Room Temperature

Transition Metals in a Cast‐Monocrystalline Silicon Ingot Studied by Silicon Nitride Gettering

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