A combined transient and steady state approach for robust lifetime spectroscopy with micrometer resolution

We present the combination of two complementary micro‐photoluminescence spectroscopic techniques operating in transient and steady state condition, respectively. Introducing the time domain into the well‐established micro‐photoluminescence mapping approach operating under steady state conditions demonstrates a distinct improvement of the robustness and reliability in the determination of charge carrier lifetime measured with micrometer spatial resolution. Lifetimes from 50 ns to above ms are accessible. We elaborate a calibration procedure and apply the combined all‐photoluminescence setup to high‐performance multicrystalline silicon. A lifetime image obtained from the established photoluminescence imaging technique is reconstructed from the microscopic map by considering lateral diffusion and optical blurring, revealing a more detrimental influence of small angle grain boundaries as well as a higher lifetime within grains as may be deduced from the standard imaging technique. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Accelerated formation of the boron–oxygen complex in p‐type Czochralski silicon

This Letter reports on the acceleration of the rate of formation of the boron–oxygen defect in p‐type Czochralski silicon with illumination intensities in excess of 2.1 × 10¹⁷ photons/cm²/s. It is observed that increased light intensities greatly enhance the rate of defect formation, without increasing the saturation concentration of the defect. These results suggest a dependence of the defect formation rate upon the total majority carrier concentration. Finally, a method using temperatures up to 475 K and an illumination intensity of 1.68 × 10¹⁹ photons/cm²/s is shown to result in near‐complete defect formation within seconds. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

SiOx precipitate composition in Si,revisited: Discussion closed?

The composition SiO_x of oxide precipitates in Si has been discussed for the past thirty years with experimentally estimated x ‐values ranging between 1 and 2. It is shown that this spread of x ‐values can be explained by calculating the average composition taking into account temperature and anneal time dependent size and shape of the precipitates and the limitations and probing volumes of the various characterization techniques. Hereby it is assumed that the oxygen‐rich (SiO₂?) core of the precipitates is surrounded by a 2 nm thin SiO layer as revealed by recent electron energy loss spectroscopy analyses. For plate‐like precipitates thinner than and for octahedral precipitates smaller than 6 nm, x ≈ 1. For larger precipitates, the central part of the precipitate consists of SiO_x with x close to 2 and the precipitate has an average x between 1 and 1.3 for plate‐like and up to 1.9 for octahedral precipitates. The predicted x ‐values for different precipitate sizes and morphologies, are compared with published experimental data. SiO_x precipitate nucleation and initial growth should be simulated assuming x = 1 and Fourier transform infrared spectra of precipitates assuming a mixture of SiO₂ and amorphous Si. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Excellent passivation of thin silicon wafers by HF‐free hydrogen plasma etching using an industrial ICPECVD tool

In this work, hydrogen plasma etching of surface oxides was successfully accomplished on thin (～100 µm) planar n‐type Czochralski silicon wafers prior to intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon [a‐Si:H(i)] deposition for heterojunction solar cells, using an industrial inductively coupled plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition (ICPECVD) platform. The plasma etching process is intended as a dry alternative to the conventional wet‐chemical hydrofluoric acid (HF) dip for solar cell processing. After symmetrical deposition of an a‐Si:H(i) passivation layer, high effective carrier lifetimes of up to 3.7 ms are obtained, which are equivalent to effective surface recombination velocities of 1.3 cm s^–1 and an implied open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) of 741 mV. The passivation quality is excellent and comparable to other high quality a‐Si:H(i) passivation. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy shows evidence of plasma‐silicon interactions and a sub‐nanometre interfacial layer. Using electron energy‐loss spectroscopy, this layer is further investigated and confirmed to be hydrogenated suboxide layers. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Light‐induced degradation of PECVD aluminium oxide passivated silicon solar cells

Light‐induced degradation (LID) has been identified to be a critical issue for solar cells processed on boron‐doped silicon substrates. Typically, Czochralski‐grown silicon (Cz‐Si) has been reported to suffer from stronger LID than block‐cast multicrystalline silicon (mc‐Si) due to higher oxygen concentrations. This work investigates LID under conditions practically relevant under module operation on different cell types. It is shown that aluminium oxide (AlOx) passivated mc‐Si solar cells degrade more than a reference aluminium back surface field mc‐Si cell and, remarkably, an AlOx passivated Cz‐Si solar cell. The defect which is activated by illumination is shown to be doubtful a sole bulk effect while the AlOx passivation might play a certain role. This work may contribute to a re‐evaluation of the suitability of boron‐doped Cz‐ and mc‐Si for solar cells with very high efficiencies. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modeling and simulations of interface properties with first‐principles electronic structure computations

We report extensive first‐principles electronic structure modeling and calculations for the SiC–SiO₂ interface, a solid–solid interface formed during oxidation of silicon carbide (SiC). The interface modeling provides atomic‐scale understanding about the nature of the interface defects as well as passivation effects due to the modification of the interface bonding. In particular, simulation results show that incorporation of hydrogen and fluorine decreases the defect density, thus enhancing the performance of SiC‐based electronic devices. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

量子受限效应和对称性效应对硅光子晶体禁带的影响

光子晶体不仅可以用来调控自发辐射, 还可以用来控制光的传输和局域. 采用平面波展开法进行模拟计算, 分析硅背景下的二维正方、三角晶格光子晶体散射基元的形状和空间取向对光子禁带的影响. 计算结果表明: 对称性和量子受限效应之间的竞争是导致光子晶体禁带宽度发生变化的原因.     

壁面材质和温度场对熔融硅润湿角的影响

本文建立了毛细模型, 采用微流动两相流水平集法计算了熔融态硅液与壁面的润湿角, 以人造金刚石作为壁面材料的计算结果与实验结果进行比较, 验证了该模型和计算方法的正确性. 在此基础上, 分别选用碳化硅、石墨和人造金刚石作为壁面材料, 探讨了不同壁面材料表面张力和壁面黏附力对润湿角的影响规律. 结果发现, 相同温度下的毛细力作用使得熔融硅液出现起伏上升现象; 润湿角均有不同程度的减小然后增大, 最终趋于稳定; 初始阶段, 由于气/熔融硅液表面张力与气/壁面表面张力之差变化较大, 液面起伏波动较大; 随后趋于稳定上升. 同时发现石墨作为壁面材料时, 以上变化更易趋于稳定. 该研究为熔体中生长晶体硅获得更稳定的生长环境提供了理论依据.     

银纳米颗粒/多孔硅复合材料的制备与气敏性能研究

采用双槽电化学腐蚀法以电阻率为10-15 Ω·cm的p型<100>晶向的单晶硅片制备了孔径约为1.5 μm, 孔深约为15-20 μm的p型多孔硅, 并以此多孔硅作为基底采用无电沉积法通过调控沉积时间在其表面沉积了不同厚度的银纳米颗粒薄膜. 采用扫描电子显微镜和X 射线衍射仪表征了银纳米颗粒/多孔硅复合材料的形貌和微观结构, 结果表明银纳米颗粒较均匀的分布于多孔硅的表面上且沉积时间对产物的形貌有重要影响. 采用静态配气法在室温下研究了银纳米颗粒/多孔硅复合材料对NH₃的气敏性能. 气敏测试结果表明沉积时间对产物的气敏性能影响较大. 当沉积时间较短时, 适量银纳米颗粒掺杂的多孔硅复合材料由于其较高的比表面积以及特殊的形貌和结构, 对NH₃气体表现出较高的灵敏度、优良的响应/恢复性能. 室温下, 其对50 ppm 的NH₃气体的气敏灵敏度可以达到5.8左右.     

硅基槽式微环谐振腔型偏振解复用器全矢量分析

提出一种紧凑型偏振解复用器, 其中两条常规硅基波导作为输入/输出信号通道, 居于其中的槽式微环谐振腔用于偏振态/波长选择组件. 采用全矢量频域有限差分法详细分析了硅基常规及槽波导的模式特性, 结果发现其横磁模的模场布及其有效折射率相似, 而其横电模相应的特性则差异明显, 结果输入横磁模能够在谐振工作波长下从下路端口输出, 而输入横电模与微环耦合可以忽略, 直接从直通端口输出, 从而实现两偏振态的高效分离. 采用全矢量时域有限差分法详细分析了该偏振解复用器的光波传输特性, 结果表明, 当微环半径为3.489 μm时, 在1.55 μm工作波长下, 横磁模与横电模的消光比与插入损耗分别为 ～ 26.12 (36.67) dB与 ～ 0.49 (0.09) dB. 另外, 论文详细讨论了器件关键结构参数的制作容差, 并给出了输入模场在器件中的传输演变情况.