Effect of oxidations on phosphorus-diffused crystalline-silicon substrates
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Siemens Solar Industries, Camarillo, CA (United States)
Phosphorus diffusions are used in the fabrication process for nearly all crystalline-silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic solar cells to form the emitter of the solar cell. These phosphorous diffusions are also well known to have beneficial gettering benefits, i.e., deleterious metallic impurities are gettered from the bulk of the c-Si substrate into the phosphorous doped layer. In this study, we examined the effect of oxidations performed after the phosphorus diffusion. We were particularly interested in using the oxidation to passivate the surface of the phosphorus diffusion. Post-diffusion oxidations or moderate temperature steps in oxidizing ambients are also commonly found in commercial fabrication sequences of c-Si solar cells. we found that the bulk lifetime was degraded in Czochralski (Cz) silicon due to the post-diffusion oxidation unless there was a gettering agent present during the oxidation. Possible explanations for these results are presented at the end of the paper.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 374110
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-96-1919C; CONF-9608116-1; ON: DE96013236
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 6. workshop on the role of impurities and defects in silicon device processing, Snowmass, CO (United States), 11-14 Aug 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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