Iron distribution in silicon after solar cell processing: Synchrotron analysis and predictive modeling

D. P. Fenning; J. Hofstetter; M. I. Bertoni; S. Hudelson; M. Rinio; J. F. Lelìvre; B. Lai; C. Del Caizo; T. Buonassisi

doi:10.1063/1.3575583

Iron distribution in silicon after solar cell processing: Synchrotron analysis and predictive modeling

D. P. Fenning, J. Hofstetter, M. I. Bertoni, S. Hudelson, M. Rinio, J. F. Lelìvre, B. Lai, C. Del Caizo, T. Buonassisi

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44 Scopus citations

Abstract

The evolution during silicon solar cell processing of performance-limiting iron impurities is investigated with synchrotron-based x-ray fluorescence microscopy. We find that during industrial phosphorus diffusion, bulk precipitate dissolution is incomplete in wafers with high metal content, specifically ingot border material. Postdiffusion low-temperature annealing is not found to alter appreciably the size or spatial distribution of FeSi ₂ precipitates, although cell efficiency improves due to a decrease in iron interstitial concentration. Gettering simulations successfully model experiment results and suggest the efficacy of high- and low-temperature processing to reduce both precipitated and interstitial iron concentrations, respectively.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	162103
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	98
Issue number	16
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3575583
State	Published - Apr 18 2011
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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@article{2f98f737a919460aa0a3deec9fd57aad,

title = "Iron distribution in silicon after solar cell processing: Synchrotron analysis and predictive modeling",

abstract = "The evolution during silicon solar cell processing of performance-limiting iron impurities is investigated with synchrotron-based x-ray fluorescence microscopy. We find that during industrial phosphorus diffusion, bulk precipitate dissolution is incomplete in wafers with high metal content, specifically ingot border material. Postdiffusion low-temperature annealing is not found to alter appreciably the size or spatial distribution of FeSi 2 precipitates, although cell efficiency improves due to a decrease in iron interstitial concentration. Gettering simulations successfully model experiment results and suggest the efficacy of high- and low-temperature processing to reduce both precipitated and interstitial iron concentrations, respectively.",

author = "Fenning, {D. P.} and J. Hofstetter and Bertoni, {M. I.} and S. Hudelson and M. Rinio and Lel{\`i}vre, {J. F.} and B. Lai and {Del Caizo}, C. and T. Buonassisi",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Contract No. DE-FG36-09GO1900, the MIT-Spain/La Cambra de Barcelona Seed Fund, and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaci{\'o}n through Thincells Project No. TEC2008-06798-C03-02. D. P. Fenning and S. Hudelson acknowledge the support of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Use of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.",

year = "2011",

month = apr,

day = "18",

doi = "10.1063/1.3575583",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "98",

journal = "Applied Physics Letters",

issn = "0003-6951",

publisher = "American Institute of Physics Publising LLC",

number = "16",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Iron distribution in silicon after solar cell processing

T2 - Synchrotron analysis and predictive modeling

AU - Fenning, D. P.

AU - Hofstetter, J.

AU - Bertoni, M. I.

AU - Hudelson, S.

AU - Rinio, M.

AU - Lelìvre, J. F.

AU - Lai, B.

AU - Del Caizo, C.

AU - Buonassisi, T.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Contract No. DE-FG36-09GO1900, the MIT-Spain/La Cambra de Barcelona Seed Fund, and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación through Thincells Project No. TEC2008-06798-C03-02. D. P. Fenning and S. Hudelson acknowledge the support of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Use of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

PY - 2011/4/18

Y1 - 2011/4/18

N2 - The evolution during silicon solar cell processing of performance-limiting iron impurities is investigated with synchrotron-based x-ray fluorescence microscopy. We find that during industrial phosphorus diffusion, bulk precipitate dissolution is incomplete in wafers with high metal content, specifically ingot border material. Postdiffusion low-temperature annealing is not found to alter appreciably the size or spatial distribution of FeSi 2 precipitates, although cell efficiency improves due to a decrease in iron interstitial concentration. Gettering simulations successfully model experiment results and suggest the efficacy of high- and low-temperature processing to reduce both precipitated and interstitial iron concentrations, respectively.

AB - The evolution during silicon solar cell processing of performance-limiting iron impurities is investigated with synchrotron-based x-ray fluorescence microscopy. We find that during industrial phosphorus diffusion, bulk precipitate dissolution is incomplete in wafers with high metal content, specifically ingot border material. Postdiffusion low-temperature annealing is not found to alter appreciably the size or spatial distribution of FeSi 2 precipitates, although cell efficiency improves due to a decrease in iron interstitial concentration. Gettering simulations successfully model experiment results and suggest the efficacy of high- and low-temperature processing to reduce both precipitated and interstitial iron concentrations, respectively.

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JO - Applied Physics Letters

JF - Applied Physics Letters

IS - 16

M1 - 162103

ER -

Iron distribution in silicon after solar cell processing: Synchrotron analysis and predictive modeling

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