Highly p-doped regions in silicon solar cells quantitatively analyzed by small angle beveling and micro-Raman spectroscopy

Highly p-doped regions in multicrystalline silicon solar cells, such as the back surface field region, are analyzed by means of small angle beveling and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Small angle beveling and subsequent Secco etching are used to enhance the lateral resolution of the micro-Raman spectroscopic measurements and to investigate the microstructure of the back surface field region in detail. The position-dependent analysis of the free carrier concentrations within the back surface field region is based on the Raman specific Fano resonances. The Raman spectroscopic measurement results are compared to results obtained from electrochemical capacitance-voltage measurements, which allows a subsequent calibration of the Raman data for the quantitative analysis of the free carrier concentrations within the highly p-doped regions of silicon solar cells and other devices. Our investigations show that the free carrier as well as the dopant concentration profiles within the back surface field region exhibit a nearly step-functional shape instead of the extended gradient shape which the electrochemical capacitance-voltage measurements suggest. Moreover, we show that the shape of the back surface field is often influenced by grain boundaries and other defects that occur in multicrystalline silicon wafers. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3236571]