An approach to evaluate the microwave-detected photoconductance decay (MWPCD) is developed, which allows to extract the minority carrier lifetime as a function of the excess carrier density from a single MWPCD measurement. The method is shown to be applicable to thin silicon wafers with low minority carrier recombination at the surfaces and bulk lifetimes in the range of about . Comparison of the MWPCD results with minority carrier lifetime measurements using the quasi-steady-state photoconductance method reveals very good agreement between both types of measurement. Only when the photoconductance exceeds 30% of the dark conductivity, is a deviation observed, because then the MWPCD signal is no longer directly proportional to the excess carrier density. Minority carrier trapping is found to affect the MWPCD signal only in the tail of the measured photoconductance decay. The evaluation method is used to map the interstitial iron content with high spatial resolution, as well as to determine the minority carrier trap density. An excellent agreement between numerical simulation and measured MWPCD signal is found revealing the assumptions made for the evaluation approach to be valid. This evaluation of the MWPCD measurement is well suited to characterize silicon of low purity and low crystalline quality, which is often employed to solar cells with high spatial resolution.
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15 November 2008
Research Article|
November 19 2008
Detailed analysis of the microwave-detected photoconductance decay in crystalline silicon
K. Lauer;
K. Lauer
a)
1CiS Institut für Mikrosensorik GmbH,
SolarZentrum Erfurt
, Konrad-Zuse-Str. 14, 99099 Erfurt, Germany
2TU Ilmenau,
Institut für Physik
, Weimarer Str. 32, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
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A. Laades;
A. Laades
1CiS Institut für Mikrosensorik GmbH,
SolarZentrum Erfurt
, Konrad-Zuse-Str. 14, 99099 Erfurt, Germany
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H. Übensee;
H. Übensee
1CiS Institut für Mikrosensorik GmbH,
SolarZentrum Erfurt
, Konrad-Zuse-Str. 14, 99099 Erfurt, Germany
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H. Metzner;
H. Metzner
b)
1CiS Institut für Mikrosensorik GmbH,
SolarZentrum Erfurt
, Konrad-Zuse-Str. 14, 99099 Erfurt, Germany
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A. Lawerenz
A. Lawerenz
1CiS Institut für Mikrosensorik GmbH,
SolarZentrum Erfurt
, Konrad-Zuse-Str. 14, 99099 Erfurt, Germany
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a)
Electronic mail: [email protected].
b)
Present address: FSU Jena, Institut für Festkörperphysik, Helmholtzweg 3, 07747 Jena, Germany.
J. Appl. Phys. 104, 104503 (2008)
Article history
Received:
August 28 2008
Accepted:
October 07 2008
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Citation
K. Lauer, A. Laades, H. Übensee, H. Metzner, A. Lawerenz; Detailed analysis of the microwave-detected photoconductance decay in crystalline silicon. J. Appl. Phys. 15 November 2008; 104 (10): 104503. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3021459
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