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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Electron-beam induced current characterization of back-surface field solar cells using a chopped scanning electron microscope beam

A chopped electron beam induced current (EBIC) technique for the chacterization of back-surface field (BSF) solar cells is presented. It is shown that the effective recombination velocity of the low-high junction forming the back-surface field of BSF cells, in addition to the diffusion length and the surface recombination velocity of the surface perpendicular to both the p-n and low-high junctions, can be determined from the data provided by a single EBIC scan. The method for doing so is described and illustrated. Certain experimental considerations taken to enhance the quality of the EBIC data are also discussed.

Luke, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Characterization of the heavily doped emitter and junction regions of silicon solar cells using an electron beam

Heavily doped emitter and junction regions of silicon solar cells are investigated by means of the electron-beam-induced-current (EBIC) technique. Although the experimental EBIC data are collected under three-dimensional conditions, it is analytically demonstrated with two numerical examples that the solutions obtained with one-dimensional numerical modeling are adequate. EBIC data for bare and oxide-covered emitter surfaces are compared with theory. The improvement in collection efficiency when an emitter surface is covered with a 100-A SiO2 film varies with beam energy; for a cell with a junction depth of 0.35 microns, the improvement is about 54 percent at 2 keV.

Luke, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Minority carrier diffusion length and edge surface-recombination velocity in InP

A scanning electron microscope was used to obtain the electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) profiles in InP specimens containing a Schottky barrier perpendicular to the scanned (edge) surface. An independent technique was used to measure the edge surface-recombination velocity. These values were used in a fit of the experimental EBIC data with a theoretical expression for normalized EBIC (Donolato, 1982) to obtain the electron (minority carrier) diffusion length.

Hakimzadeh, Roshanak↗
DOE OSTI2023

Structure and Electronic Properties of Mesopores in Si PV Devices with PLEO Contacts

All current state-of-the-art silicon photovoltaic (PV) devices employ some flavor of passivating contact structure to minimize detrimental recombination while providing good conductivity. These properties are most often provided by a dielectric layer (SiNx, Al2O3, or SiOx) that is in contact with the crystalline silicon (c-Si) substrate. The effectiveness of these layers is heavily dependent on the nanoscale structure of both the dielectric layers and the crystalline silicon interface. As an example, the tunneling probability for charge carriers across thin SiOx layers, a process that is critical to maintain high conductivity, is extremely sensitive to the SiOx thickness. SiOx with a thickness below 2 nm readily allows charge carrier tunneling, whereas it is impeded for greater thicknesses. In the latter case it has been shown that modifications to the thermal processing schedule can induce disruptions, or pinholes, in thick SiOx layers that allow transport of charge carriers while maintaining excellent passivation. However, this requires higher temperatures processes that may inhibit widespread adoption by industry. Recently, another option has been presented that may circumvent the necessity for high temperature processing, namely metal assisted chemical etching (MACE). MACE relies on deposition of Ag nanoparticles onto the SiOx layers with subsequent electroless etching to form mesopores in the SiOx layers that are analogous to the pinholes created with high temperature processing. The size and density can be controlled based on the Ag nanoparticle deposition conditions. The resulting contact structure is known as polysilicon on locally etched oxide (PLEO) contacts. The nanoscale structure of the mesopores in PLEO contacts define the device level observables such as recombination current (Jo) and junction resistance. In this work we present atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of mesopores in PLEO contacts formed with a different processing conditions to connect provide insight into how the nanoscale structure of the SiOx layer influences PV device properties. Additionally, we have previously used electron beam induced current (EBIC) to probe local transport properties in Si PV devices with a SiOx layer containing pinholes due to high temperature processing. Using EBIC we were able to directly show the enhance charge carrier transport through the pinholes. Here we also employ EBIC to study non-uniformities in charge carrier recombination and transport associated with mesopores in PLEO contacts and compare these results with our previous work on devices with pinholes in the SiOx formed through high temperature processes. The products of this work provide critical information that is required to both further optimize performance of Si PV devices with PLEO contact and to drive future adoption of this technology by industry.

ENGINEERING,SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effect of Surface Texture on Pinhole Formation in SiO x -Based Passivated Contacts for High-Performance Silicon Solar Cells

High-efficiency silicon solar cells rely on some form of passivating contact structure to reduce recombination losses at the crystalline silicon surface and losses at the metal/Si contact interface. One such structure is polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) on oxide, where heavily doped poly-Si is deposited on a SiO x layer grown directly on the crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer. Depending on the thickness of the SiO x layer, the charge carriers can cross this layer by tunneling (<2 nm SiO x thickness) or by direct conduction through disruptions in the SiOx, often referred to as pinholes, in thicker SiO x layers (>2 nm). In this work, we study structures with tunneling- or pinhole-like SiO x contacts grown on pyramidally textured c-Si wafers and expose variations in the SiOx layer properties related to surface morphology using electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) imaging. Using EBIC, we identify and mark regions with potential pinholes in the SiO x layer. We further perform high-resolution transmission electron microscopy on the same areas, thus allowing us to directly correlate locally enhanced carrier collection with variations in the structure of the SiO x layer. Our results show that the pinholes in the SiO x layer preferentially form in different locations based on the annealing conditions used to form the device. With greater understanding of these processes and by controlling the surface texture geometry, there is potential to control the size and spatial distribution of oxide disruptions in silicon solar cells with poly-Si on oxide-type contacts; usually, this is a random phenomenon on polished or planar surfaces. Such control will enable us to consistently produce high-efficiency devices with low recombination currents and low junction resistances using this contact structure.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nonuniform Charge Collection in SiOx-Based Passivated-Contact Silicon Solar Cells

In this contribution, we report on the charge-collection characteristics of silicon photovoltaic devices using passivated contacts based on the c-Si/SiO x /poly-Si structure. Using electron-beam induced current (EBIC) imaging in plan-view and cross-section orientations, we find that charge collection in a device with a 1.5-nm-thick SiO x layer is fairly uniform in the p-n junction region and does not appear to be influenced by pyramidal surface texture. In contrast, a device with a 2.2-nm-thick oxide layer shows significant spatial variation in the charge-collection signal. The apexes of the pyramids exhibit reduced EBIC signal whereas the valleys between adjacent pyramids show the strongest collection. Our results indicate that charge collection in c-Si/SiO x /poly-Si structures can be influenced by both the properties of the SiO x layer and surface texture.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Revealing the Nano-Scale Structure and Properties of Pinholes in SiOx Layers for POLO Contacts

In this contribution, we report on the charge collection characteristics of silicon photovoltaic devices with passivated contacts based on the c-Si/SiOx /poly-Si structure. Using electron-beam induced current (EBIC) imaging in plan-view and cross-section orientations, we find that charge collection in a device with a 1.5-nm-thick SiOx layer is fairly uniform in the p-n junction region and does not appear to be influenced by pyramidal surface texture. In contrast, a device with a 2.2-nm-thick oxide layer shows significant spatial variation in the charge-collection signal. The locations where we observe preferential collection of excess carriers is very sensitive to the processing conditions used to grow and breakup the SiOx passivation layer. In some cases the apexes of the pyramids exhibit reduced EBIC signal as the valleys between adjacent pyramids show the strongest collection. Other conditions yield enhanced charge collection at well defined spots on pyramid faces with no observable collection in the valleys.

EBIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterization of Engineered Pinholes in Dielectric Stacks of High-Performance Poly-Silicon Passivating Contacts

Passivating contact structures are expected to be implemented in > 50 % of industrially manufactured silicon photovoltaics produced over the next decade. One type of passivating contact utilizes a c-Si/dielectric/doped poly-Si layer stack. In cases where the dielectric layer/s are thick enough to impede tunneling of charge carriers, it was shown that disruptions (pinholes) in the dielectric are required to facilitate transport.[1] Pinholes in SiOx layers have typically been formed via high temperature annealing that allows localized breakup of this layer. This approach has drawbacks; 1) high temperature annealing increases cost and 2) pinhole formation is sensitive to both the SiOx thickness and wafer surface morphology making control of density and dimensions difficult. Recently, an alternative method of pinhole formation relying on metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) was shown to allow control over pinhole areal densities.[2] Such control is critical as both the density and dimensions of the pinholes determine saturation current density and contact resistivity. The contacts formed with the MACE process are known as polysilicon on locally etched oxide or PLEO and also result in low saturation current densities and low contact resistivity due to SiOx passivation and engineered pinhole enabled charge carrier transport, respectively. Photovoltaic devices with efficiencies greater than 20 % have recently been produced with these contacts, demonstrating the viability of contacts with engineered pinholes. Experimentally, preferential local collection of excess charge carriers has been observed and definitively connected to thermally induced pinholes in thick SiOx layers within c-Si/SiOx/poly-Si contact structures.[3] Recent work has shown that enhanced local collection of excess carriers can result from enhanced diffusion of dopants through pinholes in SiOx layers.[4] This study was restricted to simulation and characterization of poly-Si with the same dopant type as the c-Si substrates. In this work we focus our analysis on boron doped poly-Si with different stacks of dielectric layers (PLEO and PLENO where the N refers to a SiNy layer on top of the SiOx) on n-type crystalline silicon. This provides insight into how engineered pinholes affect charge collection across the p-n junction. Like previous observations of locally enhanced carrier transport through thermally induced pinholes, the EBIC images in Figure 1 shows that engineered pinholes in PLENO (1a) and PLEO (1b) also exhibit locally enhanced carrier transport at pinhole locations (bright spots in the images). We will also present detailed correlative nanoscale structural and chemical analysis using TEM imaging and EELS analysis with sample preparation guided by EBIC imaging. This allows us to connect the density and dimensions of engineered pinholes with charge carrier transport and measured photovoltaic device parameters. Our findings will accelerate the adoption of PLEO and PLENO contacts in industrially manufactured photovoltaic devices.

EBIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

EBSD of Rough Native CuInGaSe2 Thin-Films

The polycrystalline Cu (In, Ga) Se2, or CIGS, based thin-film materials system has long been studied for use in photovoltaic technologies, where its bandgap tunability, mechanical flexibility, and relatively low production costs are all appealing. Nonetheless, significant defect populations, which serve to reduce efficiency, create performance instabilities, and increase concerns about long-term reliability, have hindered wide-scale adoption. Prior work, including application of a scanning probe based deep level trap spectroscopy (SP-DLTS) defect mapping technique and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) based electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), has shown that the most detrimental defects, with energy level near mid-gap (thus serving as a carrier recombination center), are most likely caused by CuIn/Ga antisites and tend to cluster at or around certain grain boundaries [1,2]. However, the exact nature of these particular boundaries — their structures, chemistries, or even the relative misorientation of their associated grains — and their relation to this defect clustering and/or its formation is yet unknown. As such, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) orientation mapping, directly correlated with defect-sensitive techniques like SP-DLTS and/or STEM-EELS, could prove critical for providing the final missing links toward understanding the mechanisms behind these defects. Indeed, recent studies using correlative electron beam induced current (EBIC) with EBSD have been able to identify boundaries, and their relative misorientations, that possess detrimental electronic properties [3]. However, because EBIC is unable to resolve the defect energy levels, many questions are left unanswered. Furthermore, this study, and others like it, employed focused ion beam (FIB) milling to flatten the natively-rough CIGS [3-5], which may run the risk of changing the nature of any near-surface defect structures.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Quantitative Specifications to Avoid Degradation during E-Beam and Induced Current Microscopy of Halide Perovskite Devices

Degradation due to electron beam exposure has posed a challenge in the use of electron microscopy to probe halide perovskite materials and devices. Herein, the interaction between the electron beam and the perovskite across acceleration voltages and at low probe currents is investigated in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) by monitoring the electron-beaminduced current (EBIC) response in perovskite solar cells in a planview configuration. SEM probe conditions are identified where dozens of repeated scans over a single region of the perovskite solar cell induce minimal electronic degradation. Overall, the induced current response of the perovskite device is found to strongly depend upon the beam condition: rapid decay occurs at high beam powers, the current activates at the lowest beam powers, and a newfound quasi-steady response is revealed at intermediate beam conditions. A quantitative window for the successful conduction of e-beam studies with minimal electronic degradation is revealed by evaluating induced current response over a wide range of perovskite devices, which invites broader use of SEM-based characterization techniques, including EBIC, as powerful techniques for correlative microscopy investigations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unequal {110} Facets: The Potential Role of Intraparticle Heterogeneity and Facet Termination in Photoelectrochemical Activity of Single BiVO 4 Particles

BiVO 4 photoanodes are promising for solar water splitting, with photogenerated electrons and holes preferentially reacting at top {010} and lateral {110} facets, respectively. However, the mechanisms driving this facet-dependent reactivity remain unclear. Here, in this study, we investigate facet-dependent photocurrent and material heterogeneity using correlative scanning photoelectrochemical microscopy (SPCM), electron beam induced current (EBIC) mapping, and mid-IR scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). SPCM measurements of 62 BiVO 4 particles confirmed higher photocurrents at lateral {110} facets compared to top {010} facets, but unexpectedly revealed variations in photocurrent among lateral facets within the same particle. Variations in lateral facet surface termination could explain the intraparticle-level reactivity heterogeneity, consistent with theoretical predictions. Nano-FTIR spectroscopy and Raman microspectroscopy indicated significant materials chemistry heterogeneity within individual particles and facets that could be attributed to variations in lattice vibration distortions that enhance the overlap between Bi 6s and O 2p orbitals. The increased orbital overlap is significant as it potentially increases hole mobility in the valence band and potentially explains the lateral facet-dependent charge separation efficiency observed in photocurrent maps. Facet-dependent electrical and EBIC measurements showed no space charge regions at interfacet junctions or metal-BiVO 4 contacts under vacuum, suggesting that photogenerated holes beneath top {010} facets are unlikely to transport to lateral {110} facets to drive water/sulfite oxidation. These findings indicate the potential influence of distinct bulk properties and surface termination chemistries across different particles and facets, highlighting the importance of carefully controlling defects and surface chemistry during sample growth to optimize photocatalytic performance.

BiVO4↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optoelectronic and structural characterization of trapezoidal defects in 4H-SiC epilayers and the effect on MOSFET reliability

To this day, trapezoidal defects are found in clusters and high counts in wafers representing the industry standard in terms of material quality being produced. This study sheds light on the nature, origin, behavior, and impact of this defect on device yield and reliability. Trapezoidal defects in 4H-SiC epitaxial layers were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) imaging, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cathodoluminescence spectrum imaging (CLSI), SEM electron beam induced current (EBIC) imaging, and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation. The bar-shaped stacking faults were identified by the PL and CL measurements with a peak emission wavelength of 420 and 450 nm. An optoelectronic behavioral study based on the recombination enhanced dislocation glide mechanism revealed how expanding dislocations and stacking faults interact with each other. Combining the luminescence and microscopy results, the nature of the stacking faults was identified as being a combination of Shockley-type and Frank-type stacking faults. The TEM analysis showed that these defects originate from the substrate and the stacking sequences of some of the faults were determined as (…2, 4, 2…) and (…2, 3, 2…) in the Zhdanov's notation by high-resolution TEM. The origin of this defect is speculated based on our results and previous reports. The EBIC imaging showed that the high density of SFs in these towers is a strong site of carrier recombination, which presumably has an impact on the transfer characteristics of SiC devices. Furthermore, these defects have shown to impact metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors electrical performance via an increase in the on-state resistance depending on the coverage percentage of the tower of defects in the active area of the device.

4H-SiC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Pinhole Formation in Poly-Si/SiOx Passivating Contacts on Si(111)-Oriented Textures

Poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts were grown on inverted pyramid and random pyramid textured wafers to investigate the hypothesis that pinhole formation is most susceptible at the valleys and edges of a textured surface. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) etching and electron beam induced current (EBIC) were used to assess pinhole formation and charge-carrier transport. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that TMAH etching can expose pinhole locations on textured surfaces. We show that pinholes may preferentially form at the vertices of inverted pyramids. Our TMAH and EBIC analyses on random pyramids show no preferential oxide breakup at the pyramid valleys.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
NASA NTRS1979

Structure and electrical activity of planar defects in EFG ribbons

Optical, electron beam induced current (EBIC), and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the structure and electrical activity of planar defects in EFG silicon. What appears to be twin boundaries by both optical microscopy plus etching, and by EBIC are in reality systems of microtwins, some of which are only a few atomic lattice planes thick. The electrical activity of planar defects appears to be correlated with emission of dislocations especially at termination points. Impurity effects may also play a role. Twin boundaries per se appear not to be electrically active.

Ast, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Silicon solar cell fabrication technology

The laser cell scanner was used to characterize a number of solar cells made in various materials. An electron beam-induced current (EBIC) study was performed using a stereoscan scanning electron microscope. Planar p-n junctions were analyzed. A theory for the EBIC based on the analytical solution of the ambipolar diffusion equation under the influence of electron beam excitation parameter z (which is related to beam penetration), the junction depth Z sub j, the beam current and the surface recombination, was formulated and tested. The effect of a grain boundary was studied.

Stafsudd, O. M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Defect structure of EFG silicon ribbon

The defect structure of EFG ribbons was studied using EBIC, TEM and HVEM. By imaging the same areas in EBIC and HVEM, a direct correlation between the crystallographic nature of defects and their electrical properties was obtained. (1) Partial dislocations at coherent twin boundaries may or may not be electrically active. Since no microprecipitates were observed at these dislocations it is likely that the different electrical activity is a consequence of the different dislocation core structures. (2) 2nd order twin joins were observed which followed the same direction as the coherent first order twins normally associated with EFG ribbons. These 2nd order twin joins are in all cases strongly electrically active. EFG ribbons contain high concentrations of carbon. Since no evidence of precipitation was found with TEM it is suggested that the carbon may be incorporated into the higher order twin boundaries now known to exist in EFG ribbons.

Strunk, H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Quantification of the effects of generation volume, surface recombination velocity, and diffusion length on the electron-beam-induced current and its derivative Determination of diffusion lengths in the low micron and submicron ranges

A systematic and quantitative analysis is carried out to investigate the effects of the shape (point, cube, Gaussian) and size of the generation volume, the surface recombination velocity, and the diffusion length on the electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) and its derivative (DEIC). Thick homogeneously doped samples exhibiting diffusion lengths in the low micron and submicron range are considered. The results are presented in computed EBIC curves as a function of scanning distance and of the ratio true diffusion length/effective diffusion length. Shown using these curves are: (1) a simple and yet rigorous method for the determination of the true diffusion length, taking into consideration all of the factors cited above, (2) a method for the rapid determination of the surface recombination velocity, (3) the condition under which the source shape becomes insignificant, and (4) a new value for the lower limit of the diffusion length which can be determined by the EBOC technique.

Luke, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Recombination-active defects in silicon ribbon and polycrystalline solar cells

This paper reports results from a study of recombination-active structural defects in silicon ribbon and polycrystalline solar cells using the electron beam induced current (EBIC) technique in a scanning electron microscope. It is demonstrated that low temperature EBIC measurements can reveal a range of defects that are not observable at room temperature, including slip dislocations in silicon dendritic web ribbons as well as decorated twin boundaries and dislocation complexes in cast polycrystalline silicon solar cell materials.

Cheng, L. J.↗