Synchrotron-based investigation of transition-metal getterability in n-type multicrystalline silicon
Abstract
Solar cells based on n-type multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) wafers are a promising path to reduce the cost per kWh of photovoltaics; however, the full potential of the material and how to optimally process it are still unknown. Process optimization requires knowledge of the response of the metal-silicide precipitate distribution to processing, which has yet to be directly measured and quantified. To supply this missing piece, we use synchrotron-based micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) to quantitatively map >250 metal-rich particles in n-type mc-Si wafers before and after phosphorus diffusion gettering (PDG). We find that 820°C PDG is sufficient to remove precipitates of fast-diffusing impurities and that 920°C PDG can eliminate precipitated Fe to below the detection limit of μ-XRF. Thus, the evolution of precipitated metal impurities during PDG is observed to be similar for n- and p-type mc-Si, an observation consistent with calculations of the driving forces for precipitate dissolution and segregation gettering. Measurements show that minority-carrier lifetime increases with increasing precipitate dissolution from 820°C to 880°C PDG, and that the lifetime after PDG at 920°C is between the lifetimes achieved after 820°C and 880°C PDG.
- Authors:
-
[1];
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Supreme Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (United States)
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1395889
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1253398
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357; ECS-0335765; NSF/1122374; AC0206CH11357; NSF CA No. EEC-1041895
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 108; Journal Issue: 20; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; Synchrotrons; Noise floor; X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy; Chemical elements; Photovoltaics; Crystallographic defects; Doping; Electron backscatter diffraction; Semiconductor device fabrication; Passivation
Citation Formats
Morishige, Ashley E., Jensen, Mallory A., Hofstetter, Jasmin, Yen, Patricia X. T., Wang, Chenlei, Lai, Barry, Fenning, David P., and Buonassisi, Tonio. Synchrotron-based investigation of transition-metal getterability in n-type multicrystalline silicon. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.4950765.
Morishige, Ashley E., Jensen, Mallory A., Hofstetter, Jasmin, Yen, Patricia X. T., Wang, Chenlei, Lai, Barry, Fenning, David P., & Buonassisi, Tonio. Synchrotron-based investigation of transition-metal getterability in n-type multicrystalline silicon. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4950765
Morishige, Ashley E., Jensen, Mallory A., Hofstetter, Jasmin, Yen, Patricia X. T., Wang, Chenlei, Lai, Barry, Fenning, David P., and Buonassisi, Tonio. Tue .
"Synchrotron-based investigation of transition-metal getterability in n-type multicrystalline silicon". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4950765. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1395889.
@article{osti_1395889,
title = {Synchrotron-based investigation of transition-metal getterability in n-type multicrystalline silicon},
author = {Morishige, Ashley E. and Jensen, Mallory A. and Hofstetter, Jasmin and Yen, Patricia X. T. and Wang, Chenlei and Lai, Barry and Fenning, David P. and Buonassisi, Tonio},
abstractNote = {Solar cells based on n-type multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) wafers are a promising path to reduce the cost per kWh of photovoltaics; however, the full potential of the material and how to optimally process it are still unknown. Process optimization requires knowledge of the response of the metal-silicide precipitate distribution to processing, which has yet to be directly measured and quantified. To supply this missing piece, we use synchrotron-based micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) to quantitatively map >250 metal-rich particles in n-type mc-Si wafers before and after phosphorus diffusion gettering (PDG). We find that 820°C PDG is sufficient to remove precipitates of fast-diffusing impurities and that 920°C PDG can eliminate precipitated Fe to below the detection limit of μ-XRF. Thus, the evolution of precipitated metal impurities during PDG is observed to be similar for n- and p-type mc-Si, an observation consistent with calculations of the driving forces for precipitate dissolution and segregation gettering. Measurements show that minority-carrier lifetime increases with increasing precipitate dissolution from 820°C to 880°C PDG, and that the lifetime after PDG at 920°C is between the lifetimes achieved after 820°C and 880°C PDG.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4950765},
journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
number = 20,
volume = 108,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 17 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Tue May 17 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
The Relationship between Chemical Flexibility and Nanoscale Charge Collection in Hybrid Halide Perovskites
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