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Meniscus coates tests, back junction formation using a new boron containing liquid, tests of various SiO2 and boron containing liquids, pelletized silicon for replenishment during web growth, and ion implantation compatibility/feasibility study are discussed.
Investigation of the dependence of the photocurrent generated in silicon p-n junctions on the energy of the incident photons to obtain details concerning the fine structure in the indirect optical-absorption edge of silicon. It is found that at room temperature there are three prominent thresholds in the absorption tail. The first, which is not too well defined, occurs at 0.91 eV, the second at 0.99 eV, and the third at 1.026 eV. The dependence of the absorption coefficient on the photon energy following the latter two thresholds is found to differ from that found by Mcfarlane et al. (1958). The threshold energies and temperature dependence of the absorption coefficient suggest that two- and three-phonon processes give rise to the absorption tail. In the transverse-optical phonon-absorption region more structure is found in the absorption coefficient than is accounted for by the theory.
A new method is described and illustrated for determining the minority-carrier diffusion length and lifetime in the base region of p-n junction solar cells. The method requires only capacitance measurements at the device terminals and its accuracy is estimated to be + or - 5%. It is applied to a set of silicon p-n junction devices and the values of the diffusion lengths agree with those obtained using the current response to X-ray excitation but disagree with those obtained by the OCVD method. The reasons for the relative inaccuracy of OCVD applied to silicon devices are discussed. The capacitance method includes corrections for a two-dimensional fringing effects which occur in small area devices. For a device having highly-doped base region and surface (emitter) layer, the method can be extended to enable the determination of material properties of the degenerately doped surface layer. These material properties include the phenomenological emitter lifetime and a measure of the energy band-gap narrowing in the emitter. An alternate method for determining the energy band-gap narrowing from temperature dependence of emitter current is discussed and demonstrated.
Silicon solar cells with induced junctions were created by forming an inversion layer near the surface of the silicon by supplying a sheet of positive charge above the surface. This charged layer was supplied through three mechanisms: (1) supplying a positive potential to a transparent electrode separated from the silicon surface by a dielectric, (2) contaminating the oxide layer with positive ions, and (3) forming donor surface states that leave a positive charge on the surface. A movable semi-infinite shadow delineated the extent of sensitivity of the cell due to the inversion region. Measurements of the inversion layer cell response to light of different wavelengths indicated it to be more sensitive to the shorter wavelengths of the sun's spectrum than conventional cells. Theory of the conductance of the inversion layer vs. strength of the inversion layer was compared with experiment and found to match. Theoretical determinations of junction depth and inversion layer strength were made as a function of the surface potential for the transparent electrode cell.
This presentation illustratively communicates how to SPICE model silicon carbide (SiC) SiC junction field effect transistors (JFETs) for designing circuits for NASA GRC's upcoming prototype fabrication of SiC JFET IC Version 12.
Electric resistivity of carbon resistor material for calculating static response characteristics of carbon bolometer element
The presence of copper impurity, up to 10 to the 15th atoms/cc, in single crystal silicon has been shown to have no deleterious effect on the p-n junction solar cell performance. However, in polycrystalline silicon, copper atoms tend to migrate to the defect sites because of the structural sensitive properties of copper. This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of this behavior of copper impurity on the performance of p-n junction solar cells fabricated from structurally imperfect silicon. Two sets of polycrystalline silicon substrates containing copper were examined. In one set of samples, copper was incorporated during growth, whereas in the other, copper was diffused. Solar cells were fabricated on both the sets of substrates by a standard process. Dark and light I-V and spectral response characteristics of the cells were measured and compared with copper-free polycrystalline silicon solar cells. The results and the model are discussed.
High risk, high payoff research areas associated with the Westinghouse process for producing photovoltaic modules using non- CZ sheet material were investigated. All work was performed using dendritic web silicon. The following tasks are discussed and associated technical results are given: (1) determining the technical feasibility of forming front and back junctions in non-CT silicon using dopant techniques; (2) determining the feasibility of forming a liquid applied diffusion mask to replace the more costly chemical vapor deposited SiO2 diffusion mask; (3) determining the feasibility of applying liquid anti-reflective solutions using meniscus coating equipment; (4) studying the production of uniform, high efficiency solar cells using ion implanation junction formation techniques; and (5) quantifying cost improvements associated with process improvements.
Design and performance of an experimental silicon p-n junction cell which is resistant to radiation damage and intended for space application
Well shielded ceramic capillary spark source, thermocouple radiation detector and silicon p-n junction diode testing
Fabrication of high temperature silicon carbide integrated circuit using junction-gate type field effect transistor as active component
Calculations of the low frequency rectification efficiency of power Schottky diodes show that silicon Schottky rectifiers have lower losses than silicon p-n junctions for all voltage applications up to approximately 150 volts. These calculations are presented. Large area Schottky diodes have been fabricated which exhibit near ideal reverse leakage at 100 C out to approximately 100 volts and which have current capability of 100 A. Fabrication details and performance data are presented.
To fabricate 50 microns thick, coplanar back contact (CBC) silicon solar cells, wraparound junction design was selected and proved to be effective. The process sequence used, the cell design, and the cell performance are described. CBC cells with low solar absorptance have shown AMO efficiencies to 13%, high cells up to 14%; further improvements are projected with predictable optimization.
Limitations to increased open-circuit voltage were identified and experimentally verified for 0.1 ohm-cm solar cells with heavily doped emitters. After major reduction in the dark current contribution from the metal-silicon interface of the grid contacts, the surface recombination velocity of the oxide-silicon interface of shallow junction solar cells is the limiting factor. In deep junction solar cells, where the junction field does not aid surface collection, the emitter bulk is the limiting factor. Singly-diffused, shallow junction cells have been fabricated with open circuit voltages in excess of 645 mV. Double-diffusion shallow and deep junctions cells have displayed voltages above 650 mV. MIS solar cells formed on 0.1 ohm-cm substrates have exibited the lowest dark currents produced in the course of the contract work.
Commercially available silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes from different manufacturers rated at 200, 300, 600, and 1200 V, were electrically tested and characterized as a function of temperature up to 300 C. Electrical tests included both steady state and dynamic tests. Steady state tests produced forward and reverse I-V characteristic curves. Transient tests evaluated the switching performance of the diodes in either a hard-switched DC to DC buck converter or a half-bridge boost converter. For evaluation and comparison purposes, the same tests were performed with current state-of-the-art ultra fast silicon (Si) pn-junction diodes of similar ratings and also a Si Schottky diode. The comparisons made were forward voltage drop at rated current, reverse current at rated voltage, and turn-off peak reverse recovery current and reverse recovery time. In addition, efficiency measurements were taken for the buck DC to DC converter using both the SiC Schottky diodes and the Si pn-junction diodes at different temperatures and frequencies. The test results showed that at high temperature, the forward voltage drop for SiC Schottky diodes is higher than the forward drop of the ultra fast Si pn-junction diodes. As the temperature increased, the forward voltage drop of the SiC Schottky increased while for the ultra fast Si pn-junction diodes, the forward voltage drop decreased as temperature increased. For the elevated temperature steady state reverse voltage tests, the SiC Schottky diodes showed low leakage current at their rated voltage. Likewise, for the transient tests, the SiC Schottky diodes displayed low reverse recovery currents over the range of temperatures tested. Conversely, the Si pn-junction diodes showed increasing peak reverse current values and reverse recovery times with increasing temperature. Efficiency measurements in the DC to DC buck converter showed the advantage of the SiC Schottky diodes over the ultra fast Si pn-junction diodes, especially at the higher temperatures and higher frequencies.
The increasing use of power electronics, such as high-current semiconductor devices and modules, within space vehicles is driving the need to develop specialty thermal management materials in both the packaging of these discrete devices and the packaging of modules consisting of these device arrays. Developed by Applied Nanotech, Inc. (ANI), CarbAl heat transfer material is uniquely characterized by its low density, high thermal diffusivity, and high thermal conductivity. Its coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is similar to most power electronic materials, making it an effective base plate substrate for state-of-the-art silicon carbide (SiC) super junction transistors. The material currently is being used to optimize hybrid vehicle inverter packaging. Adapting CarbAl-based substrates to space applications was a major focus of the SBIR project work. In Phase I, ANI completed modeling and experimentation to validate its deployment in a space environment. Key parameters related to cryogenic temperature scaling of CTE, thermal conductivity, and mechanical strength. In Phase II, the company concentrated on improving heat sinks and thermally conductive circuit boards for power electronic applications.
Silicon solar cells operating with induced junctions rather than diffused junctions have been fabricated and tested. Induced junctions were created by forming an inversion layer near the surface of the silicon by supplying a sheet of positive charge above the surface. This charged layer was supplied through three mechanisms: (1) applying a positive potential to a transparent electrode separated from the silicon surface by a dielectric, (2) contaminating the oxide layer with positive ions, and (3) forming donor surface states that leave a positive charge on the surface. A movable semi-infinite shadow delineated the extent of sensitivity of the cell due to the inversion region. Measurements of the response of the inversion layer cell to light of different wavelengths indicated it to be more sensitive to the shorter wavelengths of the sun's spectrum than conventional cells. The greater sensitivity occurs because of the shallow junction and the strong electric field at the surface.
High risk, high payoff research areas associated with he process for producing photovoltaic modules using non-CZ sheet material are investigated. All investigations are being performed using dendritic web silicon, but all processes are directly applicable to other ribbon forms of sheet material. The technical feasibility of forming front and back junctions in non-CZ silicon using liquid dopant techniques was determined. Numerous commercially available liquid phosphorus and boron dopant solutions are investigated. Temperature-time profiles to achieve N(+) and P(+) sheet resistivities of 60 + or - 10 and 40 + or - s10 ohms per square centimeter respectively are established. A study of the optimal method of liquid dopant application is performed. The technical feasibility of forming a liquid applied diffusion mask to replace the more costly chemical vapor deposited SiO2 diffusion mask was also determined.