Lifetime Factors in Silicon


Book Description




Application of Recombination Lifetime Measurements in Silicon Wafer Manufacturing


Book Description

Increasingly stringent demands are being placed on the surface and bulk metal contamination levels of silicon wafer starting material in order to meet ULSI device requirements. Recombination lifetime measurements are applied in silicon wafer manufacturing to monitor metal contamination from various processes including crystal growth, thermal treatments, cleaning processes, epitaxial growth, and to check final product quality. Applications of recombination lifetime measurements in silicon wafer manufacturing are reviewed. Comparisons of recombination lifetime data are made between measurement techniques.







Non-Contact Measurements of the Minority Carrier Recombination Lifetime at the Silicon Surface


Book Description

Minority carrier recombination lifetime is one of the basic parameters that can provide information regarding the condition of the silicon substrate at various stages of the device manufacturing process. The key challenge is to effectively separate surface region effects from the bulk and to determine the minority carrier lifetime that is selectively related to the surface region of the silicon. This paper reviews requirements, physical principles, and implementation of the non-contact measurement of the minority carrier recombination lifetime, which is controlled solely by the characteristics of the silicon surface and sub-surface region. The method is based on a short wavelength, low light intensity, and high modulation frequency ac-SPV. Examples of experimental results using a commercial system developed to implement such methodology are discussed.




Semiconductor Statistics


Book Description

In-depth exploration of the implications of carrier populations and Fermi energies examines distribution of electrons in energy bands and impurity levels of semiconductors. Also: kinetics of semiconductors containing excess carriers, particularly in terms of trapping, excitation, and recombination. 1962 edition.




Photovoltaic Solar Energy


Book Description

Solar PV is now the third most important renewable energy source, after hydro and wind power, in terms of global installed capacity. Bringing together the expertise of international PV specialists Photovoltaic Solar Energy: From Fundamentals to Applications provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of existing PV technologies in conjunction with an assessment of technological developments. Key features: Written by leading specialists active in concurrent developments in material sciences, solar cell research and application-driven R&D. Provides a basic knowledge base in light, photons and solar irradiance and basic functional principles of PV. Covers characterization techniques, economics and applications of PV such as silicon, thin-film and hybrid solar cells. Presents a compendium of PV technologies including: crystalline silicon technologies; chalcogenide thin film solar cells; thin-film silicon based PV technologies; organic PV and III-Vs; PV concentrator technologies; space technologies and economics, life-cycle and user aspects of PV technologies. Each chapter presents basic principles and formulas as well as major technological developments in a contemporary context with a look at future developments in this rapidly changing field of science and engineering. Ideal for industrial engineers and scientists beginning careers in PV as well as graduate students undertaking PV research and high-level undergraduate students.




Lifetime Spectroscopy


Book Description

Lifetime spectroscopy is one of the most sensitive diagnostic tools for the identification and analysis of impurities in semiconductors. Since it is based on the recombination process, it provides insight into precisely those defects that are relevant to semiconductor devices such as solar cells. This book introduces a transparent modeling procedure that allows a detailed theoretical evaluation of the spectroscopic potential of the different lifetime spectroscopic techniques. The various theoretical predictions are verified experimentally with the context of a comprehensive study on different metal impurities. The quality and consistency of the spectroscopic results, as explained here, confirms the excellent performance of lifetime spectroscopy.




Quantitative Recombination and Transport Properties in Silicon from Dynamic Luminescence


Book Description

Harmonically modulated luminescence combines the advantages of highly sensitive luminescence metrology with an immediate dynamic access to carrier lifetime in semiconductors at a minimum of required a priori information. The present work covers theoretical, conceptual, and experimental advances of the harmonically modulated luminescence technique. Theoretical constraints of dynamic carrier lifetime techniques are rigorously elaborated, including the proof of their differential nature and their characteristics at nonuniform spatial distributions of recombination rate. The pathway toward a unified, reliable, and versatile harmonically modulated carrier lifetime metrology is delineated - covering the entire solar cell production chain from bare ingots to finished solar cells. Accurate access to miscellaneous relevant recombination and transport properties via harmonically modulated luminescence is demonstrated and experimentally validated, embracing injection-dependent carrier lifetimes at extremely low injection conditions, a spatially resolved carrier lifetime calibration of luminescence images, and accurate approaches to both net dopant concentration and minority carrier mobility.




Measurement of Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors


Book Description

About 300 papers concerned with the measurement and interpretation of carrier lifetime in semiconductors are listed together with key words and a brief comment for each. Eight types of entries are included: Description of Methods, Analysis of Results, Standard Methods, Experimental Results, Theroetical Models, Auxiliary Procedures and Data, Reviews, and Books. Emphasis is placed on methods of carrying out measurements of carrier lifetime. Hence complete coverage was attempted and nearly two thirds of the entries appear in the first three categories. A large fraction of the papers listed describe the photoconductivity or photoconductive decay methods. The other most popular methods are based on diode characteristics or the photomagnetoelectric effect. In all, 35 methods for measuring carrier lifetime are represented by entries. In addition, representative papers which describe various models for recombination are included together with a number of papers which discuss the influence of surface recombination and trapping phenomena. Auxiliary procedures such as surface preparation, formation of ohmic contacts, control of temperature, and the like are described in some of the entries. Two indexes, a Key Word Index and an Author Index, are provided together with a classification of the various methods for measuring carrier lifetime. (Author).