Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T19:56:10.482Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Defect characterization of polycrystalline silicon layers obtained by aluminum-induced crystallization and epitaxy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Dries Van Gestel ,
Ivan Gordon ,
Lodewijk Carnel ,
Guy Beaucarne  and
Jef Poortmans
Dries Van Gestel
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, SCT, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium, +32 16 28 86 83, +32 16 28 15 01
Ivan Gordon
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Lodewijk Carnel
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Guy Beaucarne
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Jef Poortmans
Affiliation:
[email protected], IMEC, Leuven, B-3001, Belgium
Get access

Abstract

To reduce the harmful influence of grain boundaries in polycrystalline Si layers we make absorber layers on foreign substrates with columnar grains with a grain width larger than the grain thickness. Such layers with a grain size in the range of ~1-100 µm can be obtained by aluminum-induced crystallization and epitaxy. Until now however, the open-circuit voltage of solar cells made from such layers was quasi-independent of the grain size. To understand this fact, defect etching and Electron Backscattered diffraction (EBSD) measurements were performed to investigate the crystallographic defects. A very large density (~ 109 cm-2) of intra-grain defects (IGD) was found. Room temperature Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) measurements were done to localize and investigate the electrically active defects. The intra-grain defects found with defect etching showed a strong recombination activity. These results indicate that the unexpected quasi-independence on the grain size of the open-circuit voltage of our pc-Si solar cells is due to the presence of numerous electrically active intra-grain defects.

Keywords

defectselectrical propertiespolycrystal
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 989: Symposium A – Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin-Film Silicon Science and Technology-2007 , 2007 , 0989-A16-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Gestel, D. Van, Gordon, I., Carnel, L., Pinckney, L.R., Mayolet, A., D'Haen, J., Beaucarne, G., and Poortmans, J., Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc 910, A26–04 (2006).Google Scholar
2 Gordon, I., Carnel, L., Gestel, D. Van, Beaucarne, G., and Poortmans, J., Paper presented at this conference 3. Olivier Nast and Stuart R. Wenham, J. Appl. Phys. 88, 124 (2000)Google Scholar
4 Gestel, D. Van, Gordon, I., Carnel, L., Nieuwenhuysen, K. Van, D'Haen, J, Irigoyen, J., Beaucarne, G. and Poortmans, J., Thin Solid Films, 511-512, 35 (2006)Google Scholar
5 Carnel, L., Gordon, I., Gestel, D. Van, Beaucarne, G., Poortmans, J. and Stesmans, A., J. Appl. Phys. 100, 063702 (2006)Google Scholar
6 Imaizumi, Mitsuru, Ito, Tadashi, Yamaguchi, Masafumi and Kaneko, Kyojiro, J. Appl. Phys. 81, 7635 (1997)Google Scholar
7 Kieliba, Thomas, Riepe, Stephan and Warta, Wilhelm, J. Appl. Phys, 100, 063706 (2006)Google Scholar
8 Gordon, I, Van Gestel, D, Van Nieuwenhuysen, K, Carnel, L, Beaucarne, G, Poortmans J. Thin Solid Films, 487, 113–117 (2005).Google Scholar
9 Schimmel, D. G., J. Electrochem. Soc., 126, 479 (1979)Google Scholar
10 Carnel, L., Gordon, I., Gestel, D. Van, Nieuwenhuysen, K. Van, Agostinelli, G., Beaucarne, G., Poortmans, J., Thin Solid Films, 511-512, 21 (2006)Google Scholar
11 Yacobi, B.G., Herrington, C.R. and Matson, R.J., J. Appl. Phys. 56, 557, (1984)Google Scholar
12 Sproul, A.B., Puzzer, T. and Bergmann, R.B., Proceedings of the 2nd World Conference on Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion, Vienna, 6-10 July 1998, 1355 Google Scholar
13 Gestel, D. Van, Romero, M.J., Gordon, I., Carnel, L., D'Haen, J., Beaucarne, G., AlJassim, M., and Poortmans, J., Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 092103 (2007).Google Scholar
14 Kveder, V., Kittler, M., Schroter, W., Physical Review B, 63, 115208 (2001)Google Scholar