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Influence of illumination on the grain boundary recombination velocity in silicon

Journal Article · · J. Appl. Phys.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.333161· OSTI ID:5229627

The variation with illumination of the grain boundary (GB) barrier height E/sub B/ and of the effective recombination velocity S/sub eff/ is calculated by means of a self-consistent procedure which takes into account the bending of the minority carrier quasi-Fermi level in the GB space-charge region and in the GB quasi-neutral region. The GB interface states have been assumed to be uniformly distributed in a half-filled band whose width and position in the band gap can vary. S/sub eff/ is nearly proportional to exp(E/sub B//kT), only when E/sub B/ is sufficiently low. For high E/sub B/, S/sub eff/ is limited by the thermal velocity. The influence of the density of interface states and the grain doping concentration has been studied. The experimental results obtained with Silso--Wacker polycrystalline silicon show that the grain boundaries present different behaviors.

Research Organization:
Laboratoire des Materiaux et Composants Semi-conducteurs, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Physique de Marseille, F.13397 Marseille Cedex 13, France
OSTI ID:
5229627
Journal Information:
J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 55:4; ISSN JAPIA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English