Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 7828018 |
| Pages (from-to) | 430-436 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2017 |
Abstract
Kerfless silicon wafers epitaxially grown on porous silicon (PSI) and subsequently detached from the growth substrate are a promising candidate for reducing the cost of the silicon wafer, which is particularly important for silicon photovoltaics. However, the carrier lifetime of these epitaxial wafers has to be at least as high as that of today's standard Czochralski (Cz)-grown wafers in order to become competitive. Here, we compare the measured lifetimes of n-type epitaxial silicon wafers that grow on PSI and epitaxial silicon wafers that grow on nonporous surfaces of epi-ready wafers. The latter are subsequently ground to have free-standing epitaxial wafers. Gettering improves the carrier lifetime of the ground wafers up to 4.2 ms. In contrast, PSI wafers show regions with effective lifetimes of 4.5 ms, even without gettering. This lifetime value is a factor of four larger than lifetimes of Cz wafers which are typically employed in today's PERC solar cells. We model the lifetime measurements with three Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) defects: two defects that exist in the PSI and in the epi-ready wafer and a third defect that is only present in the epi-ready wafer.
Keywords
- Epitaxy, minority carrier lifetime, porous silicon (PSI)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Science(all)
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Engineering(all)
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
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In: IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 7, No. 2, 7828018, 03.2017, p. 430-436.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - 4.5 ms Effective Carrier Lifetime in Kerfless Epitaxial Silicon Wafers from the Porous Silicon Process
AU - Gemmel, Catherin
AU - Hensen, Jan
AU - Kajari-Schröder, Sarah
AU - Brendel, Rolf
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2011-2012 IEEE. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/3
Y1 - 2017/3
N2 - Kerfless silicon wafers epitaxially grown on porous silicon (PSI) and subsequently detached from the growth substrate are a promising candidate for reducing the cost of the silicon wafer, which is particularly important for silicon photovoltaics. However, the carrier lifetime of these epitaxial wafers has to be at least as high as that of today's standard Czochralski (Cz)-grown wafers in order to become competitive. Here, we compare the measured lifetimes of n-type epitaxial silicon wafers that grow on PSI and epitaxial silicon wafers that grow on nonporous surfaces of epi-ready wafers. The latter are subsequently ground to have free-standing epitaxial wafers. Gettering improves the carrier lifetime of the ground wafers up to 4.2 ms. In contrast, PSI wafers show regions with effective lifetimes of 4.5 ms, even without gettering. This lifetime value is a factor of four larger than lifetimes of Cz wafers which are typically employed in today's PERC solar cells. We model the lifetime measurements with three Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) defects: two defects that exist in the PSI and in the epi-ready wafer and a third defect that is only present in the epi-ready wafer.
AB - Kerfless silicon wafers epitaxially grown on porous silicon (PSI) and subsequently detached from the growth substrate are a promising candidate for reducing the cost of the silicon wafer, which is particularly important for silicon photovoltaics. However, the carrier lifetime of these epitaxial wafers has to be at least as high as that of today's standard Czochralski (Cz)-grown wafers in order to become competitive. Here, we compare the measured lifetimes of n-type epitaxial silicon wafers that grow on PSI and epitaxial silicon wafers that grow on nonporous surfaces of epi-ready wafers. The latter are subsequently ground to have free-standing epitaxial wafers. Gettering improves the carrier lifetime of the ground wafers up to 4.2 ms. In contrast, PSI wafers show regions with effective lifetimes of 4.5 ms, even without gettering. This lifetime value is a factor of four larger than lifetimes of Cz wafers which are typically employed in today's PERC solar cells. We model the lifetime measurements with three Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) defects: two defects that exist in the PSI and in the epi-ready wafer and a third defect that is only present in the epi-ready wafer.
KW - Epitaxy
KW - minority carrier lifetime
KW - porous silicon (PSI)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85010223144&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2016.2642640
DO - 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2016.2642640
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85010223144
VL - 7
SP - 430
EP - 436
JO - IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
JF - IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
SN - 2156-3381
IS - 2
M1 - 7828018
ER -