Atomic structure of light-induced efficiency-degrading defects in boron-doped Czochralski silicon solar cells

Meyer, Abigail R.; Taylor, P. Craig; Venuti, Michael B.; Eley, Serena; LaSalvia, Vincenzo; Nemeth, William; Page, Matthew R.; Young, David L.; Stradins, Paul; Agarwal, Sumit

doi:10.1039/d1ee01788h

Title: Atomic structure of light-induced efficiency-degrading defects in boron-doped Czochralski silicon solar cells

Journal Article · Fri Aug 13 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Energy & Environmental Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ee01788h· OSTI ID:1821415

^[1]; Taylor, P. Craig ^[2];

^[2];

^[3]; Nemeth, William ^[3]; Page, Matthew R. ^[3];

^[3];

^[1]

Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Boron-doped Czochralski (Cz) Si is the most commonly used semiconductor in the fabrication of solar cells. The minority carrier lifetime of boron-doped Cz Si decreases upon exposure to light due to B–O-related defects, which reduce the performance of ~10⁹ solar modules worldwide. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), we have identified the spin-active paramagnetic signatures of this phenomenon and gained insights into its microscopic mechanism. We found a distinct defect signature, which diminished when the degraded sample was annealed. The second signature, a broad magnetic field spectrum, due to the unionized B acceptors, was present in the annealed state but vanished upon light exposure. These observations show that, on degradation, nearly all the ~10¹⁶ cm^–3 B atoms in Cz Si complexed with interstitial O atoms, whereas only ~10¹² cm^–3 of these complexes created defects that were recombination-active. The formation rate of these recombination-active defects correlated with the decay of the minority carrier lifetime. Furthermore, the line shape parameters linked these defects to both B and O impurities in Cz Si.

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Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308; SETP DE-EE0008171; SETP DE-EE0008984

OSTI ID:: 1821415

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1817242

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5900-79622; MainId:35843; UUID:3ee8736e-932d-4d80-b29f-4c55b0806c64; MainAdminID:62876

Journal Information:: Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 2021, Issue 14; ISSN 1754-5692

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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14 SOLAR ENERGY
boron doped
Cz Si
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electron paramagnetic resonance
EPR
LID
light induced degradation
photovoltaic
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Title: Atomic structure of light-induced efficiency-degrading defects in boron-doped Czochralski silicon solar cells

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