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Accounting for the Dependence of Coil Sensitivity on Sample Thickness and Lift-Off in Inductively Coupled Photoconductance Measurements

Black, Lachlan; Macdonald, Daniel

Description

Inductively coupled photoconductance measurements are widely used to characterize carrier recombination in crystalline silicon. We show that, contrary to what is usually supposed, the sensitivity of such measurements is significantly dependent on sample thickness in the range of typical wafer thicknesses, due to the attenuation of the magnetic field with distance from the coil. Sample thickness, as well as any separation from the coil, should, therefore, be taken into account in system...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorBlack, Lachlan
dc.contributor.authorMacdonald, Daniel
dc.date.accessioned2020-12-03T02:47:42Z
dc.identifier.issn2156-3381
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/216683
dc.description.abstractInductively coupled photoconductance measurements are widely used to characterize carrier recombination in crystalline silicon. We show that, contrary to what is usually supposed, the sensitivity of such measurements is significantly dependent on sample thickness in the range of typical wafer thicknesses, due to the attenuation of the magnetic field with distance from the coil. Sample thickness, as well as any separation from the coil, should, therefore, be taken into account in system calibration in order to avoid systematic errors. We investigate the magnitude of this effect both experimentally and via analytical and finite-element modeling for a range of commercial photoconductance measurement systems with varying coil geometry. Finite-element modeling is used to identify the functional form of the attenuation in the regime of interest, and simple formulae are derived which allow the experimentalist to correct for sample thickness and lift-off. Close agreement is found between modeled and experimental attenuation behavior. Finite-element modeling is also used to evaluate the magnitude of skin effects, which are found to have a minor influence on the measured conductance for the most highly conductive samples, and to determine the lateral spatial variation of the coil sensitivity, which is important for lifetime imaging techniques where photoconductance measurements are used for calibration.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoen_AU
dc.publisherIEEE
dc.rights© 2019 IEEE
dc.sourceIEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
dc.subjectCharge carrier density, charge carrier lifetime, conductivity measurement, eddy currents, measurement techniques, photoconductivity, photovoltaic cells, silicon.
dc.titleAccounting for the Dependence of Coil Sensitivity on Sample Thickness and Lift-Off in Inductively Coupled Photoconductance Measurements
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume9
dc.date.issued2019
local.identifier.absfor091204 - Elemental Semiconductors
local.identifier.absfor090605 - Photodetectors, Optical Sensors and Solar Cells
local.identifier.ariespublicationu5786633xPUB1490
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationBlack, Lachlan, College of Engineering and Computer Science, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationMacDonald, Daniel, College of Engineering and Computer Science, ANU
local.description.embargo2037-01-31
local.bibliographicCitation.issue6
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage1563
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage1574
local.identifier.doi10.1109/JPHOTOV.2019.2942484
local.identifier.absseo850504 - Solar-Photovoltaic Energy
dc.date.updated2020-07-19T08:31:03Z
local.identifier.thomsonIDWOS:000504310400014
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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