Permanent annihilation of thermally activated defects which limit the lifetime of float‐zone silicon

Grant, Nicholas E.; Маркевич, В. П.; Mullins, Jack; Peaker, А. R.; Rougieux, Fiacre; Macdonald, Daniel; Murphy, John D.

doi:10.1002/pssa.201600360

Cited by 74 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…After removal of the phosphosilicate glass in buffered HF and subsequent SC cleaning, the wafers were thermally oxidized in oxygen (with background dichloroethylene) for 60 min at 1050°C. The oxidation annihilates grown-in defects [35], [36] while the phosphorus diffusion getters impurities and prevents external contamination during the high-temperature oxidation. Following the high-temperature processing, the SiO 2 film and phosphorus diffused region were chemically etched away.…”

Section: Quantifying Surface Recombination Of Superacid-treated Simentioning

confidence: 99%

Superacid-Treated Silicon Surfaces: Extending the Limit of Carrier Lifetime for Photovoltaic Applications

Grant

Niewelt

Wilson

et al. 2017

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Section: Quantifying Surface Recombination Of Superacid-treated Simentioning

confidence: 99%

Superacid-Treated Silicon Surfaces: Extending the Limit of Carrier Lifetime for Photovoltaic Applications

Grant

Niewelt

Wilson

et al. 2017

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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“…Lower temperature (≈250 to 450 °C) processes to deposit dielectric films can impact on the bulk lifetime in at least three ways. Firstly, annealing can activate bulk recombination centres − even in high purity float‐zone silicon …”

Section: Motivation For Temporary Passivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporary Surface Passivation for Characterisation of Bulk Defects in Silicon: A Review

Grant

Murphy

2017

Physica Rapid Research Ltrs

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Accurate measurements of the bulk minority carrier lifetime in high-quality silicon materials is challenging due to the influence of surface recombination. Conventional surface passivation processes such as thermal oxidation or dielectric deposition often modify the bulk lifetime significantly before measurement. Temporary surface passivation processes at room or very low temperatures enable a more accurate measurement of the true bulk lifetime, as they limit thermal reconfiguration of bulk defects and minimize bulk hydrogenation. In this article we review the state-of-the-art for temporary passivation schemes, including liquid immersion passivation based upon acids, halogen-alcohols and benzyl-alcohols, and thin film passivation usually based on organic substances. We highlight how exceptional surface passivation (surface recombination velocity below 1 cm s À1 ) can be achieved by some types of temporary passivation. From an extensive review of available data in the literature, we find p-type silicon can be best passivated by hydrofluoric acid containing solutions, with superacid-based thin films showing a slight superiority in the n-type case. We review the practical considerations associated with temporary passivation, including sample cleaning, passivation activation, and stability. We highlight examples of how temporary passivation can assist in the development of improved silicon materials for photovoltaic applications, and provide an outlook for the future of the field.

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“…The explanation suggested that the defect that becomes activated originates from the growth conditions of the ingot and results in a reduction in the bulk lifetime. According to a previous study, further temperature annealing at higher temperatures (from 800 to 1100 °C) should provide complete recovery of the charge carrier lifetime in FZ silicon.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Effect of Cryogenic Dry Etching on Minority Charge Carrier Lifetime in Silicon

Kudryashov

Gudovskikh

Baranov

et al. 2019

Physica Status Solidi (a)

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Micro‐ and nanostructured silicon surface application is a promising way of photovoltaic development. An enhancement of optical absorption in solar cells can be achieved, for example, using vertically aligned silicon nanostructures with high aspect ratios. Cryogenic plasma etching is a suitable method for such structures' formation; however, there is still lack of data describing an effect of cryogenic inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching on defect formation in silicon (Si). The defects may act as recombination centers, leading to solar cell characteristics degradation. Herein, the cryogenic dry etching effects on defect formation in float‐zone (FZ) n‐type silicon substrates and on the photovoltaic properties of solar cells made of plasma‐etched silicon substrate are presented. The decrease in low‐injection minority carrier lifetime in silicon from 0.85 to 0.55 ms is observed by photoluminescence decay after the ICP dry etching at −140 °C. This leads to an open‐circuit voltage drop for the (p)a‐Si:H/(n)c‐Si/(n)a‐Si:H heterojunction structure from 680 to 630 mV. A detailed study of the defect properties by deep‐level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), numerical simulation, and its behavior after wet etching and thermal annealing is presented.

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Permanent annihilation of thermally activated defects which limit the lifetime of float‐zone silicon

Abstract: (2016) Permanent annihilation of thermally activated defects which limit the lifetime of float-zone silicon. Physica Status Solidi A . Permanent WRAP URL:

Cited by 74 publications

References 18 publications

Superacid-Treated Silicon Surfaces: Extending the Limit of Carrier Lifetime for Photovoltaic Applications

Superacid-Treated Silicon Surfaces: Extending the Limit of Carrier Lifetime for Photovoltaic Applications

Temporary Surface Passivation for Characterisation of Bulk Defects in Silicon: A Review

Effect of Cryogenic Dry Etching on Minority Charge Carrier Lifetime in Silicon

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