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Title: Moving Beyond p-Type mc-Si: Quantified Measurements of Iron Content and Lifetime of Iron-Rich Precipitates in n-Type Silicon

Abstract

N-type multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is a promising alternative to the dominant p-type mc-Si for solar cells because it combines the cost advantages of mc-Si while benefiting from higher tolerance to transition metal contamination. A detailed understanding of the relative roles of point defect and precipitated transition metals has enabled advanced processing and high minority carrier lifetimes in p-type mc-Si. This contribution extends that fundamental understanding to Fe contamination in n-type mc-Si, helping enable processing of this material into an economical and high-performance photovoltaic device. Finally, by directly correlating micro-photoluminescence-based minority carrier lifetime mapping and synchrotron-based micro-X-ray fluorescence mapping of Fe-rich precipitates, we develop a quantitative, physical understanding of the recombination activity of Fe-rich precipitates in n-type mc-Si.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
  2. Albert-Ludwigs-Univ. Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany). Freiburger Materialforschungszentrum
  3. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
  4. Aalto Univ., Espoo (Finland)
  5. Fraunhofer Inst. for Solar Energy Systems, Freiburg (Germany)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD); National Science Foundation (NSF); European Research Council (ERC); European Commission - Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7); USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1505165
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2156-3381
Publisher:
IEEE
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; correlative microscopy; micro-X-ray fluorecence; micro-photoluminescence; n-type; precipitate; silicon; synchrotron

Citation Formats

Morishige, Ashley E., Heinz, Friedemann D., Laine, Hannu S., Schon, Jonas, Kwapil, Wolfram, Lai, Barry, Savin, Hele, Schubert, Martin C., and Buonassisi, Tonio. Moving Beyond p-Type mc-Si: Quantified Measurements of Iron Content and Lifetime of Iron-Rich Precipitates in n-Type Silicon. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2869544.
Morishige, Ashley E., Heinz, Friedemann D., Laine, Hannu S., Schon, Jonas, Kwapil, Wolfram, Lai, Barry, Savin, Hele, Schubert, Martin C., & Buonassisi, Tonio. Moving Beyond p-Type mc-Si: Quantified Measurements of Iron Content and Lifetime of Iron-Rich Precipitates in n-Type Silicon. United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2869544
Morishige, Ashley E., Heinz, Friedemann D., Laine, Hannu S., Schon, Jonas, Kwapil, Wolfram, Lai, Barry, Savin, Hele, Schubert, Martin C., and Buonassisi, Tonio. Wed . "Moving Beyond p-Type mc-Si: Quantified Measurements of Iron Content and Lifetime of Iron-Rich Precipitates in n-Type Silicon". United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2869544. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1505165.
@article{osti_1505165,
title = {Moving Beyond p-Type mc-Si: Quantified Measurements of Iron Content and Lifetime of Iron-Rich Precipitates in n-Type Silicon},
author = {Morishige, Ashley E. and Heinz, Friedemann D. and Laine, Hannu S. and Schon, Jonas and Kwapil, Wolfram and Lai, Barry and Savin, Hele and Schubert, Martin C. and Buonassisi, Tonio},
abstractNote = {N-type multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is a promising alternative to the dominant p-type mc-Si for solar cells because it combines the cost advantages of mc-Si while benefiting from higher tolerance to transition metal contamination. A detailed understanding of the relative roles of point defect and precipitated transition metals has enabled advanced processing and high minority carrier lifetimes in p-type mc-Si. This contribution extends that fundamental understanding to Fe contamination in n-type mc-Si, helping enable processing of this material into an economical and high-performance photovoltaic device. Finally, by directly correlating micro-photoluminescence-based minority carrier lifetime mapping and synchrotron-based micro-X-ray fluorescence mapping of Fe-rich precipitates, we develop a quantitative, physical understanding of the recombination activity of Fe-rich precipitates in n-type mc-Si.},
doi = {10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2869544},
journal = {IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics},
number = 6,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Sep 19 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed Sep 19 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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Figures / Tables:

Fig. 1 Fig. 1: . Schematic of the process used to make an $n$-type Si dislocation network with Fe-rich precipitates. Orange circles represent Fe-rich precipitates. Dark gray highlights the plane where the two wafers are bonded, forming the dislocation network.

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Limiting Defects in n‐Type Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells
journal, July 2019

  • Schubert, Martin C.; Schindler, Florian; Schön, Jonas
  • physica status solidi (a), Vol. 216, Issue 17
  • DOI: 10.1002/pssa.201900331

Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.