A.M. Vallêra

Measurement of residual stress in multicrystalline silicon ribbons by a self-calibrating infrared photoelastic method

This article reports on a method for the measurement of residual stress in multicrystalline silicon ribbons, based on the infrared photoelastic technique. This self-calibrating method allows the in situ determination of the photoelastic coefficients and can thus be used for any crystal orientation. The method was validated by the experimental determination of the photoelastic coefficient of monocrystalline (100) silicon wafers and by comparison with strain measurements using asymmetrical x-ray diffraction. The distribution of residual stress in multicrystalline silicon ribbons was also measured. The results showed strong evidence for tensile stress in the central region and compressive stress near the edges of the ribbons. Both the measured residual stress and the photoelastic coefficient distributions are correlated to grain boundaries.

Thin-film characterization for high-temperature applications

Most thin films produced by a wide variety of methods, either physical or chemical (PVD, CVD, sputtering, etc.) for temperature sensor applications, can be used only in very narrow ranges of temperatures, where their components are not subjected to differential thermal expansions, recrystallizations, and grain size modifications. This paper reports the production and characterization of thin films of platinum and titanium in ceramic substrates by one of the physical vapor deposition techniques, the e-gun evaporation. The choice of materials and the determination of film thickness, density, electrical resistivity, surface roughness, and structural characterization (X-ray, SEM, and AES) are studied. Special emphasis is given to the thermal and electrical behavior of these films between room temperature and 1000°C.

Residual stress and dislocations density in silicon ribbons grown via optical zone melting

We investigate the relationships between growth rate, time-temperature profile, residual stress, dislocation density, and electrical performance of silicon ribbons grown via optical zone melting. The time-temperature profiles of ribbons grown at different velocities were investigated using direct measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. Residual stresses up to 20 MPa were measured using infrared birefringence imaging. The effect of crystallization speed on dislocation density and residual stress is discussed from the context of thermal stresses during growth. More broadly, we demonstrate the usefulness of combining spatially resolved stress and microstructure measurements with CFD simulations toward optimizing kerfless silicon wafer quality.

The silicon on dust substrate path to make solar cells directly from a gaseous feedstock

In this paper, we present a silicon on dust substrate (SDS) process, a new method for the growth of silicon ribbons. As a demonstration of the concept, we also present results on solar cells made of these new silicon ribbons. SDS ribbons were obtained directly from a gaseous feedstock by a fast CVD step using silane. The resulting self-supported intrinsic ribbons were microcrystalline and porous. To make these ribbon films suitable for photovoltaic applications, a novel recrystallization with an in situ doping step was developed. To this purpose, the ribbons were sprayed with boric acid and then recrystallized by float zone melting. Simple solar cells were prepared by employing: aluminium back contacts, Ti/Pd/Ag front grid contacts, with no anti-reflective coating, doping optimization, passivation or gettering. The 1-sun I–V characteristics of the cells were: Voc ∼ 530 mV and Jsc ∼ 24 mA cm −2 .T he minority carrier diffusion length obtained from a spectral response at long wavelengths gave values of Ln ∼ 70 μm. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

A differential mechanical profilometer for thickness measurement

A low cost differential profilometer based on standard commercial displacement transducers is fully described. Unlike most common profilometers this device can be used to measure the thickness profile of samples having both surfaces irregular. A sensitivity of about 0.2 μm, independent of the sample thickness is achieved.

Linear electric molten zone in semiconductors

This letter describes how the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity in semiconductors may be used to produce a linear floating molten zone which is intrinsically stable and uniform along its length. An analytical model and an experimental demonstration of such electric molten zone are both presented. This effect may be of particular interest for crystal growth and semiconductor recrystallization.

Silicon tubes by a closed molten zone: a characterisation study

We report on the characterisation of silicon tubes recrystallised by closed molten zone, a technique developed as a step to a possible process for thin silicon sheet production. The tube faces are quite flat and have a smooth surface. For the electrical characterisation, samples were cut from the tube faces and simple photovoltaic solar cells were formed. The average diffusion length of minority carriers was found, from spectral response, to be around 100 μm. Low-resolution LBIC measurements showed lower diffusion lengths (around 40 μm) in the regions close to the tube edges. This behaviour was correlated to measurements of residual thermal stresses using infrared photoelasticity. Measurements of the changes of spectral response with increasing bias light intensity reveal an increase in the effective diffusion length, a known effect that is interpreted in terms of a density of trapping states.

Electric molten zone crystallization of silicon wafers

A new method for molten zone crystallization is presented. The method is based on the formation of a molten capillary by applying an electric current. Since the power is delivered directly to the liquid, the technique has the potential for low energy budget. On the other hand, being a floating molten zone method, the liquid silicon never contacts foreign materials and therefore is essentially contamination free. Experimental results show that the crystallized samples feature relatively low minority carrier lifetimes which are correlated to relatively high dislocation densities, associated with the sample temperature profile.

First solar cells on silicon wafers doped using sprayed boric acid

A new method for boron bulk doping of silicon ribbons is developed. The method is based on the spraying of the ribbons with a boric acid solution and is particularly suited for silicon ribbons that require a zone-melting recrystallization step. To analyse the quality of the material thus obtained, multicrystalline silicon samples doped with this doping process were used as substrate for solar cells and compared with solar cells made on commercial multicrystalline silicon wafers. The values obtained for the diffusion length and the IV curve parameters show that the method of doping with the boric acid solution is suitable to produce p-doped silicon ribbons for solar cell applications.

A wave lab inside a coaxial cable

The study of electromagnetic wave propagation in a coaxial cable can be a powerful approach to the study of waves at an undergraduate level. This study can explore different experimental situations, going from those where the finite velocity of propagation must be considered (distributed or transmission line behaviour), to those where this velocity may be considered infinite (lumped behaviour). We believe that the student observation of the existence of these two regimes can be important for the understanding of wave phenomena in general. In this work we show that this can be achieved using low-cost equipment and a set of quite simple experiments, such as the measurement of wave propagation velocity or the study of standing waves and resonance. The results obtained in a coherent set of selected experiments are discussed.