Realization of Bulk Multicrystalline Silicon with Controlled Grain Boundaries by Utilizing Spontaneous Modification of Grain Boundary Configuration

概要

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We succeeded in the realization of bulk multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) with electrically inactive grain boundaries. A group of single-crystal Si wafers was used as an artificial multicrystalline seed with random grain boundaries. The crystal growth was carried out by the floating zone technique under ultrahigh vacuum at a growth rate of 1.0 mm/min. Under these conditions, most of the grain boundaries were spontaneously modified to $\Sigma 3$. In contrast, random grain boundaries remained even after 40-mm growth when the growth rate was decreased to 0.2 mm/min. From these results, we suggest that the control of both the initial grain boundary configuration and the growth conditions is important to realize mc-Si with electrically inactive grain boundaries, which is a promising material for solar cell applications.
Published by the Japan Society of Applied Physics through the Institute of Pure and Applied Physicsの論文
2006-03-15