Variations in minority carrier-trapping effects caused by hydrogen passivation in multicrystalline silicon wafer

Yujin Jung, Kwan Hong Min, Soohyun Bae, Yoon Mook Kang, Donghwan Kim, Hae Seok Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

In a multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) wafer, trapping effects frequently occur in the carrier lifetime measurement based on the quasi-steady-state photoconductance (QSSPC) technique. This affects the accurate measurement of the carrier lifetime of an mc-Si solar cell by causing distortions at a low injection level close to the Pmax point. Therefore, it is necessary to understand this effect and effectively minimize the trapping-center density. In this study, the variations in the minority carrier-trapping effect of hydrogen at different annealing temperatures in an mc-Si were observed using QSSPC, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and atom probe tomography. A trapping effect was confirmed and occurred in the grain boundary area, and the effect was reduced by hydrogen. Thus, in an mc-Si wafer, effective hydrogen passivation on the grain area and grain boundary is crucial and was experimentally proven to minimize the distortion of the carrier lifetime.

Original languageEnglish
Article number5783
JournalEnergies
Volume13
Issue number21
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020 Nov 1

Keywords

  • Grain boundary
  • Hydrogen passivation
  • Multicrystalline silicon
  • Photoconductance
  • Trapping effect

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Fuel Technology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Energy (miscellaneous)
  • Control and Optimization
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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