4.7 Article

Distribution and impact of chromium in compensated solar grade silicon

Journal

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
Volume 103, Issue -, Pages 140-146

Publisher

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2012.04.033

Keywords

Chromium; Compensation; Solar grade; Solar cells

Funding

  1. BIP [180107/I40]

Ask authors/readers for more resources

In this study we have investigated two multicrystalline silicon ingots made from a compensated solar grade silicon (SoG-Si) test feedstock. Both ingots were solidified under the same conditions in a pilotscale directional solidification furnace. In order to study the distribution and the impact of Cr in the compensated SoG-Si feedstock, 50 ppmw Cr (27 ppma) was added to one of the ingots. Electrical properties, such as resistivity and minority carrier lifetime, have been compared for the two ingots. Solar cells performance is also presented. The minority carrier lifetime is significantly reduced by the addition of Cr, being up to 19 mu s for the undoped reference ingot, and <1 mu s for the Cr-doped material. The maximum solar cell conversion efficiency of the solar cells made from the Cr-doped compensated solar grade silicon in this study is 14.4%, which is similar to the cells made from the ingot with no Cr addition. This work shows that Cr contamination significantly impairs electrical properties but they can, to some degree, be improved by gettering during solar cell processing. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

Article Physics, Applied

Interfacial atomic structure and electrical activity of nano-facetted CSL grain boundaries in high-performance multi-crystalline silicon

M. G. Tsoutsouva, P. E. Vullum, K. Adamczyk, M. Di Sabatino, G. Stokkan

JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS (2020)

Article Crystallography

The effect of preliminary heat treatment on the durability of reaction bonded silicon nitride crucibles for solar cells applications

Rania Hendawi, Arjan Ciftja, Gaute Stokkan, Lars Arnberg, Marisa Di Sabatino

JOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH (2020)

Article Biochemical Research Methods

Application of 7N In as secondary cathode for the direct current-glow discharge mass spectrometry analysis of solid, fused high-purity quartz

Jochen Busam, Gaute Stokkan, Astrid Marie F. Muggerud, Marisa Di Sabatino

Summary: Direct current glow discharge mass spectrometry with an indium-based secondary cathode technique is utilized to analyze metallic impurities in solid, nonconducting, fused high-purity quartz relevant to the solar industry. The study optimizes secondary cathode design and glow discharge conditions beyond standard practices, establishing relative sensitivity factors for the optimized conditions. The results demonstrate stable measurements with detection limits down to the part per billion range.

JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (2021)

Article Engineering, Electrical & Electronic

Iron related precipitates in multicrystalline silicon by conductive atomic force microscopy

Pierpaolo Vecchi, Giovanni Armaroli, Marisa Di Sabatino, Daniela Cavalcoli

Summary: The study aims to investigate the electrical activity of metallic contaminated grain boundaries in mc-Si. It was found that iron precipitates enhance the current contrast at the grain boundaries. Two sets of mc-Si wafers contaminated with iron and aluminium were analyzed using Electron Backscatter Diffraction and Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy, contributing to an improved understanding of iron precipitates at grain boundaries in mc-Si.

MATERIALS SCIENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING (2021)

Article Energy & Fuels

Kinetics of silicon nitride coatings degradation and its influence on liquid infiltration in PV silicon crystallization processes

Rania Hendawi, Arjan Ciftja, Lars Arnberg, Marisa Di Sabatino

Summary: Safe implementation of reusable crucibles in the silicon PV industry requires a thorough understanding of reactions to avoid liquid infiltration and crucible failure. By adding colloidal silica to silicon nitride coating, the oxygen concentration can be controlled, crucible degradation can be avoided, and the pre-oxidation step can be eliminated. An analytical model was used to quantify the effect of oxygen content in the coating on the depletion rate, providing insight into hindering liquid infiltration by forming and stabilizing silicon oxynitride in the coating.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2021)

Article Spectroscopy

Depth Profiling at a Steel-aluminum Interface Using Slow-flow Direct Current Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry

Gagan Paudel, Geir Langelandsvik, Sergey Khromov, Siri Marthe Arbo, Ida Westermann, Hans Jorgen Roven, Marisa Di Sabatino

Summary: In this study, the diffusion of traces of chromium and nickel at the interface of a steel-aluminum bilayer was profiled using a new sensitive dc-GDMS instrument. The results showed enrichment of both elements at the interface, with higher concentrations for the heat-treated specimen.

ATOMIC SPECTROSCOPY (2022)

Article Chemistry, Analytical

Silicon and indium as secondary cathodes for the analysis of solid alumina and sapphire by slow-flow direct-current glow discharge mass spectrometry

Jochen Busam, Gagan Paudel, Marisa Di Sabatino

Summary: The capabilities of indium and silicon as secondary cathodes for direct current glow discharge mass spectrometry (dc-GDMS) were compared, demonstrating that silicon is a good alternative material.

JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY (2022)

Article Energy & Fuels

Effect of gas atmospheres on the interactions between liquid silicon and coated graphite substrates

Rania Hendawi, Lars Arnberg, Marisa Di Sabatino

Summary: This study focuses on the interactions between the gas atmosphere, liquid silicon, Si3N4 coating, and graphite. Experimental results show that carbon monoxide inhibits the infiltration and spreading of silicon droplets during wetting, while nitrogen promotes silicon wetting and accelerates the decomposition rate of silicon content in the coating.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2022)

Article Energy & Fuels

Novel coatings for graphite materials in PV silicon applications: A study of the surface wettability and interface interactions

Rania Hendawi, Lars Arnberg, Marisa Di Sabatino

Summary: The research on coatings for graphite materials reveals that using a two-layer coating technique can improve non-wetting behavior, decrease coating degradation rate, and reduce CO evolution during isothermal holding, achieving minimal detrimental interaction between graphite and silicon oxides.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2022)

Article Energy & Fuels

Copper in compensated p- and n-type Czochralski silicon: Diffusivity, influence on the majority charge carrier density and mobility

G. Gaspar, C. Modanese, S. Bernardis, N. Enjalbert, L. Arnberg, S. Dubois, M. Di Sabatino

Summary: This study aims to investigate the influence of copper contamination on highly doped and compensated silicon materials. Experimental results show that copper atoms migrate to the surface and decrease the bulk copper content in n-type compensated wafers, while no accumulation of copper atoms is observed at the surface of p-type compensated material. However, the hole carrier mobility is affected in the presence of copper contamination.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2022)

Article Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

Novel technique to study the wet chemical etching response of multi-crystalline silicon wafers

Vladyslav Matkivskyi, Arne Karstein Royset, Gaute Stokkan, Pal Tetlie, Marisa Di Sabatino, Gabriella Tranell

Summary: This study demonstrated the combined use of white light interferometry (WLI) and Laue X-ray crystallography scanner characterisation to investigate the chemical etching response of diamond cut multi-crystalline Si (mc-Si) wafers. The topography of mc-Si surfaces before and after etching was examined to evaluate the effect of different texturing additives. The results illustrated the influence of different crystal orientations on the etching rate, with the etching speed increasing with the crystallographic similarity to the main (hkl) planes (100,110,111). The comparison of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) additives showed NaOCl to be favorable for polishing mc-Si wafers, while IPA can only be used for crystal grains close to the (111) orientation.

MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING B-ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL SOLID-STATE MATERIALS (2023)

Article Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

The Role of Boron in Low Copper Spheroidal Graphite Irons

A. V. Bugten, L. Michels, R. B. Brurok, C. Hartung, E. Ott, L. Vines, Y. Li, L. Arnberg, M. Di Sabatino

Summary: The effects of boron at various concentrations on low copper spheroidal graphite iron (SGI) were investigated. It was found that boron had no noticeable effect on the size distributions, number densities, or morphologies of microparticle populations, as well as the size distributions or number densities of graphite nodules at concentrations of 130 to 140 ppm. However, even at concentrations as low as 24 ppm, boron was observed to cause rough surface morphology of graphite nodules.

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A-PHYSICAL METALLURGY AND MATERIALS SCIENCE (2023)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Novel combinatory method for surface and crystallinity analysis of crystalline materials & nbsp;Combinatory analysis method for crystalline materials surface

Vladyslav Matkivskyi, Arne Karstein Royset, Gaute Stokkan, Pal Tetlie, Marisa Di Sabatino, Gabriella Tranell

Summary: This study aims to develop a combined surface morphology and crystallographic analysis method for crystalline silicon. By applying various chemical operations to multi-crystalline silicon samples and analyzing them using WLI and Laue techniques, maps for crystal orientation to etching rate dependency were created. The study demonstrates the strengths of this combinatory technique as an alternative to existing methods such as AFM and EBSD.

METHODSX (2023)

Proceedings Paper Energy & Fuels

Modelling Iron Distribution in the Crucible-coating-silicon Ingot System and the Impact of Diffusion Barrier Layers

Mohammed M'Hamdi, Alexandra Sheppard, Jochen Thilo Busam, Gaute Stokkan, Marisa Di Sabatino

Summary: This study investigates the distribution of iron contamination in the process of silicon ingot preparation and develops a numerical model for prediction and evaluation. The results show that mixing conditions in the melt and diffusion from the crucible and coating play important roles in iron contamination. Furthermore, introducing a diffusion barrier layer may help reduce iron contamination.

11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CRYSTALLINE SILICON PHOTOVOLTAICS (SILICONPV 2021) (2022)

Proceedings Paper Energy & Fuels

Microstructure and Electrical Properties of Multi-Crystalline Silicon Ingots Made in Silicon Nitride Crucibles

Hendawi Rania, Rune Sondena, Arjan Ciftja, Gaute Stokkan, Lars Arnberg, Marisa Di Sabatino

Summary: In this work, high-performance multi-crystalline silicon (HPMC-Si) ingots were made in silicon nitride crucibles. The study found that increasing argon flow during the directional solidification process can reduce carbon levels. Preliminary lifetime measurements showed that gettering and hydrogenation can greatly improve the minority carrier lifetime. The results suggest that further improvements can be achieved by adjusting the solidification parameters.

11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CRYSTALLINE SILICON PHOTOVOLTAICS (SILICONPV 2021) (2022)

Article Energy & Fuels

Highly efficient double-side-passivated perovskite solar cells for reduced degradation and low photovoltage loss

Shahriyar Safat Dipta, Md Habibur Rahaman, Walia Binte Tarique, Ashraful Hossain Howlader, Ayush Pratik, John A. Stride, Ashraf Uddin

Summary: Implementing a double-sided passivation approach can enhance the performance of n-i-p structured PSCs and improve the stability and photovoltaic properties of the cells.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Paste-based silver reduction for iTOPCon rear side metallization

Daniel Ourinson, Andreas Brand, Andreas Lorenz, Marwan Dhamrin, Sebastian Tepner, Michael Linse, Nathalie Goettlicher, Kosuke Tsuji, Jonas D. Huyeng, Florian Clement

Summary: This work presents two approaches to reduce the amount of silver on the rear side of M2-sized industrial iTOPCon solar cells. The Cu-based approach shows promise with similar power conversion efficiency compared to the conventional approach, while the Al-based approach exhibits some limitations but demonstrates the potential of such type of contact for iTOPCon solar cells.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Screen printable copper pastes for silicon solar cells

Abasifreke Ebong, Donald Intal, Sandra Huneycutt, Thad Druffel, Ruvini Dharmadasa, Kevin Elmer, Apolo Nambo

Summary: This study demonstrates the successful metallization of a PERC silicon solar cell using screen-printable copper (Cu) paste. The Cu paste contains antioxidant additives and diffusion inhibitors to prevent oxidation and diffusion of Cu. The Cu-printed cells achieved an efficiency of 19% and showed no Cu diffusion after characterization tests. The long-term stability and effectiveness of the Cu diffusion barrier were also confirmed.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Defining specifications for accurate Metal/TCO specific contact resistivity measurements by TLM in silicon heterojunction devices

Senami Zogbo, Wilfried Favre, Olivier Bonino, Marie-Estelle Gueunier-Farret

Summary: Measuring specific contact resistivity (pc) is crucial for interface engineering in high efficiency solar cells. The Transfer Length Method (TLM) is commonly used for evaluating layer sheet resistance (Rsheet) and pc, but it is not suitable for metal/Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) interface evaluation in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) cells. This study investigates the parameters that restrict current confinement within the TCO, including mid-gap trap density (Dit) at the a-Si:H/c-Si interface and the activation energy (Ea = Ec - EF) variation of a-Si:H contact layers.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Ribbons lengthening induced by thermal cycling in PV modules part I: Cell-ribbon mechanical interaction through the solder

Jean-Baptiste Charpentier, Philippe Voarino, Julien Gaume

Summary: The phenomenon of ribbon lengthening in PV modules exposed to thermal cycling is not well explained in the literature. In this study, a three layers model is proposed to explain this effect, and the predictions of the model are validated through finite element method simulations and experiments. The results show that the model predictions are consistent with the indirect measurements, but not with the direct measurements. Additionally, it is inferred that the encapsulant plays a role after the solder failure.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Ribbons lengthening induced by thermal cycling in PV modules, Part II: Glass-ribbon mechanical interaction through the encapsulant

Jean-Baptiste Charpentier, Philippe Voarino, Julien Gaume

Summary: This study investigates the problematic ribbon lengthening observed in PV modules exposed to high amplitude thermal cycling. A simplified system model is proposed and accurate predictions are obtained using the Finite Element Method. The results show that the thickness of the encapsulant has a substantial impact on the lengthening of the ribbons.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Gallium nanoparticles as antireflection structures on III-V solar cells

S. Catalan-Gomez, E. Martinez Castellano, M. Schwarz, M. Montes Bajo, L. Dorado Vargas, A. Gonzalo, A. Redondo-Cubero, A. Gallego Carro, A. Hierro, J. M. Ulloa

Summary: This study investigates the use of core-shell gallium nanoparticles as functional light scatterers on solar cells. By optimizing the nanoparticle size, the short-circuit current of the solar cells is significantly improved. The underlying physical mechanism is studied through optical measurements and simulations, and a method to reduce the plasmonic effect of the nanoparticles is demonstrated.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Highly reflective and passivated ohmic contacts in p-Ge by laser processing of aSiCx:H(i)/Al2O3/aSiC films for thermophotovoltaic applications

M. Gamel, G. Lopez, A. M. Medrano, A. Jimenez, A. Datas, M. Garin, I. Martin

Summary: In this study, a highly reflective ohmic contact to p-type c-Ge material is demonstrated, which can improve the efficiency of thermophotovoltaic devices. The experimental results show that this contact can simultaneously meet the requirements of good back surface passivation, low electrical resistivity, and high reflectivity. Moreover, simulations suggest that implementing these back contacts has the potential to achieve conversion efficiencies comparable to high-efficiency c-Ge TPV cells.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Improvement on solar selective absorption properties of anodic aluminum oxide photonic crystal films by electrodeposition of silver

Hongyang Wei, Qing Xu, Dongchu Chen, Min Chen, Menglei Chang, Xiufang Ye

Summary: This study prepared solar selective absorption films based on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) photonic crystals using a unique electrodeposition method. The Co-Ag electrodeposited film exhibited superior solar selective absorption properties and thermal stability.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Optical absorption driven by efficient refraction and light concentration for photovoltaic applications

Ankit Kumar, Ankit Chauhan, Jordi Llobet, Helder Fonseca, Patricia C. Sousa, Carlos Calaza, Gil Shalev

Summary: This study found that decorating subwavelength arrays with SiO2 quasi-nanolenses (qNL arrays) can enhance the absorption of the solar spectrum. Optical absorption mechanisms in qNL arrays were investigated using near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM), revealing that the enhancement is a result of the combination of effective antireflection coating, increased optical interactions between adjacent dielectrics for elevated light trapping, and strong light concentration due to the presence of qNLs.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Progress on the reduction of silver consumption in metallization of silicon heterojunction solar cells

S. Pingel, T. Wenzel, N. Goettlicher, M. Linse, L. Folcarelli, J. Schube, S. Hoffmann, S. Tepner, Y. C. Lau, J. Huyeng, A. Lorenz, F. Clement

Summary: This study demonstrates the potential to reduce silver consumption in highly efficient SHJ cells through fine-line screen printing using low temperature paste with various screens. The results show that using finer mesh allows for narrower grid fingers and lower resistance, leading to improved cell efficiency. Simulation results indicate that module wire configuration is crucial for reducing silver consumption.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Efficient-thermal conductivity, storage and application of bionic tree-ring composite phase change materials based on freeze casting

Xibo He, Jun Qiu, Wei Wang, Yicheng Hou, Yong Shuai

Summary: This paper proposes a novel phase change material with high thermal conductivity and stability for fast photo-thermal conversion and storage. The experimental results demonstrate excellent durability and stability of the phase change material, with good performance in thermal conductivity and thermal storage efficiency.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Solar evaporation of liquid marbles with tunable nanowire array

Qingyuan Liu, Lin Wang, Zheng Liu, Guohua Liu

Summary: A new evaporating structure consisting of liquid marble with tunable nanowire array is proposed to enhance solar evaporation. The experiments show that the liquid marble with nanowire array exhibits outstanding evaporation performance, which has significant implications for seawater desalination or wastewater treatment.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Effects of different interface on the stability of hybrid heterojunction solar cells

Hao Liu, Qiming Liu, Jinpei Liu, Yonggang Zhao, Yingjie Yu, Yue An, Ganghui Wei, Yanzheng Li, Yujun Fu, Junshuai Li, Deyan He

Summary: Moisture in the air is identified as the main cause of performance degradation in organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells. Exposure to air leads to the growth of thin oxide layer on the interface and the formation of silver sulfide, increasing the series resistance and decreasing the fill factor, thus degrading the cell performance.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)

Article Energy & Fuels

Refractive indices and extinction coefficients of p-type doped Germanium wafers for photovoltaic and thermophotovoltaic devices

E. Blanco, P. Martin, M. Dominguez, P. Fernandez-Palacios, I. Lombardero, C. Sanchez-Perez, I. Garcia, C. Algora, M. Gabas

Summary: This study addresses the lack of optical parameters for p-type Ge wafers by determining the complex refractive indices of commercial Ge wafers with varying doping levels. The obtained data successfully reproduces the critical points associated with interband transitions and absorption features below the bandgap. The refractive indices were validated through experimental measurements and solar cell simulations.

SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS (2024)