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

Journal Article · 19 September 2018 · IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2869544 · OSTI ID:1505165

Morishige, Ashley E.  ^[1]; Heinz, Friedemann D. ^[2]; Laine, Hannu S.  ^[1]; Schon, Jonas  ^[2]; Kwapil, Wolfram  ^[2]; Lai, Barry ^[3]; Savin, Hele ^[4]; Schubert, Martin C. ^[5]; Buonassisi, Tonio  ^[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)

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.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: 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)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1505165
• Journal Information: IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 8, Issue 6; ISSN 2156-3381
• Publisher: IEEECopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English