The effects of intragrain defects on the local photoresponse of polycrystalline silicon solar cells

✍ Scribed by N. Inoue; C.W. Wilmsen; K.A. Jones

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1981
• Weight: 962 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0379-6787
• DOI: 10.1016/0379-6787(81)90080-6

✦ Synopsis

Intragrain defects in Wacker cast and Monsanto zone-refined polycrystalline silicon materials were investigated using the electron-beaminduced current (EBIC) technique. The EBIC response maps were compared with etch pit, local diffusion length and local photoresponse measurements. It was determined that the Wacker polycrystalline silicon has a much lower density of defects than does the Monsanto polycrystalline silicon and that most of the defects in the Wacker material are not active recombination sites. A correlation was found between the recombination site density, as determined by EBIC, and the local diffusion length. It is shown that a large density of intragrain recombination sites greatly reduces the minority carrier diffusion length and thus can significantly reduce the photoresponse of solar cells.