Lifetime studies of multicrystalline silicon

Abstract

The application of photoconductance measurements to investigate the electronic properties of multicrystalline silicon is illustrated with selected experiments, ranging from process control to fundamental research. Carrier trapping effects are discussed, and a technique based on controlled cross-contamination of hyper-pure silicon wafers with multicrystalline wafers is used to separately study the effect of metallic impurities. The variability of the effective lifetime with injection level is explained in terms of the Shockley-Read-Hall recombination model. Finally, the implications of effective lifetime on device voltage are pointed out. Show more