@inproceedings{2103eb2e0a5c41b4951a9afe556efc4a,
title = ">1.8 millisecond effective lifetime in n-type silicon grown by the noncontact crucible method",
abstract = "We evaluate the performance and gettering response of n-type ingot silicon material grown by the noncontact crucible method for photovoltaic applications. As-grown lifetimes are >150 μs and relatively homogeneous through the ingot. We apply standard and extended gettering profiles to elucidate gettering response. Effective minority carrier lifetimes are greater than 700 μs and 1.8 ms at an injection condition of 1015 cm-3 after standard and extended gettering schemes, respectively, on samples from near the top of an ingot. Unlike the as-grown state, the wafer lifetime distribution in gettered samples is not homogeneous. In wafers from lower parts of the ingot, concentric-swirl patterns of lower lifetime are revealed after gettering. We hypothesize that gettering removes a large percentage of fast-diffusing impurities, while defect striations similar to swirl microdefects found in Czochralski silicon can in some cases continue to limit lifetimes after gettering. These results indicate that, by application of a tailored gettering process, silicon materials grown by the noncontact crucible method can achieve lifetimes that can readily support high-efficiency solar cells, while highlighting areas for further material improvement.",
keywords = "defect engineering, gettering, impurities, lifetime, noncontact crucible method, passivation, silicon",
author = "Maulid Kivambe and Powell, {Douglas M.} and {Ann Jensen}, Mallory and Morishige, {Ashley E.} and Kazuo Nakajima and Ryota Murai and Kohei Morishita and Tonio Buonassisi",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2014 IEEE.; 40th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2014 ; Conference date: 08-06-2014 Through 13-06-2014",
year = "2014",
month = oct,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1109/PVSC.2014.6925560",
language = "English",
series = "2014 IEEE 40th Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2014",
publisher = "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.",
pages = "2988--2990",
booktitle = "2014 IEEE 40th Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2014",
address = "United States",
}