On the low carrier lifetime edge zone in multicrystalline silicon ingots
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)
We have demonstrated the cause of low minority carrier lifetime corresponding to the edge zone of casting multicrystalline silicon ingots and its influence on the performance of solar cells. It is found that the concentration of substitutional carbon, interstitial oxygen, and dislocation density have no direct correlation with the low minority carrier lifetime in the edge zone. However, the distribution of interstitial iron exactly coincides with the minority carrier lifetime, indicating that iron contamination is mainly responsible for the lifetime degradation. After phosphorus diffusion gettering process, the low carrier lifetime region became narrower, and the concentration of interstitial iron is reduced by almost one order of magnitude. However, the carrier lifetime in the edge zone cannot be raised to average level. After celling process, the internal quantum efficiency map of the edge zone has a lower response to the long wavelength light, in accordance with the minority carrier lifetime distribution in this region. Therefore, the solar cells based on edge zones exhibit slightly lower efficiency than those conventional ones.
- OSTI ID:
- 22271090
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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