Atomic structure of light-induced efficiency-degrading defects in boron-doped Czochralski silicon solar cells

Boron-doped Czochralski (Cz) Si is the most commonly used semiconductor in the fabrication of solar cells. The minority carrier lifetime of boron-doped Cz Si decreases upon exposure to light due to B–O-related defects, which reduce the performance of ~109 solar modules worldwide. Using electron para...

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Published inEnergy & environmental science Vol. 2021; no. 14
Main Authors Meyer, Abigail R., Taylor, P. Craig, Venuti, Michael B., Eley, Serena, LaSalvia, Vincenzo, Nemeth, William, Page, Matthew R., Young, David L., Stradins, Paul, Agarwal, Sumit
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Royal Society of Chemistry 13.08.2021
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Abstract Boron-doped Czochralski (Cz) Si is the most commonly used semiconductor in the fabrication of solar cells. The minority carrier lifetime of boron-doped Cz Si decreases upon exposure to light due to B–O-related defects, which reduce the performance of ~109 solar modules worldwide. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), we have identified the spin-active paramagnetic signatures of this phenomenon and gained insights into its microscopic mechanism. We found a distinct defect signature, which diminished when the degraded sample was annealed. The second signature, a broad magnetic field spectrum, due to the unionized B acceptors, was present in the annealed state but vanished upon light exposure. These observations show that, on degradation, nearly all the ~1016 cm–3 B atoms in Cz Si complexed with interstitial O atoms, whereas only ~1012 cm–3 of these complexes created defects that were recombination-active. The formation rate of these recombination-active defects correlated with the decay of the minority carrier lifetime. Furthermore, the line shape parameters linked these defects to both B and O impurities in Cz Si.
AbstractList Boron-doped Czochralski (Cz) Si is the most commonly used semiconductor in the fabrication of solar cells. The minority carrier lifetime of boron-doped Cz Si decreases upon exposure to light due to B–O-related defects, which reduce the performance of ~109 solar modules worldwide. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), we have identified the spin-active paramagnetic signatures of this phenomenon and gained insights into its microscopic mechanism. We found a distinct defect signature, which diminished when the degraded sample was annealed. The second signature, a broad magnetic field spectrum, due to the unionized B acceptors, was present in the annealed state but vanished upon light exposure. These observations show that, on degradation, nearly all the ~1016 cm–3 B atoms in Cz Si complexed with interstitial O atoms, whereas only ~1012 cm–3 of these complexes created defects that were recombination-active. The formation rate of these recombination-active defects correlated with the decay of the minority carrier lifetime. Furthermore, the line shape parameters linked these defects to both B and O impurities in Cz Si.
Author LaSalvia, Vincenzo
Young, David L.
Agarwal, Sumit
Taylor, P. Craig
Eley, Serena
Nemeth, William
Venuti, Michael B.
Page, Matthew R.
Stradins, Paul
Meyer, Abigail R.
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  organization: Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000244533656
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Snippet Boron-doped Czochralski (Cz) Si is the most commonly used semiconductor in the fabrication of solar cells. The minority carrier lifetime of boron-doped Cz Si...
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SubjectTerms boron doped
Cz Si
Czochralski
electron paramagnetic resonance
EPR
LID
light induced degradation
photovoltaic
SOLAR ENERGY
Title Atomic structure of light-induced efficiency-degrading defects in boron-doped Czochralski silicon solar cells
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