The characterization of high quality multicrystalline silicon by the electron beam induced current method

Multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) manufactured by a multi-stage solidification control casting method has been characterized by the electron beam induced current (EBIC) method. The average diffusion length of the ingot was over 250 mum, which was much longer than that of conventional mc-Si. The EBIC study revealed that the electrical activities of grain boundaries (GBs) varied with the ingot position due to the impurity contamination level. The main impurity detected was iron. The concentration of iron in the central position was much lower than that at the bottom and top positions. GBs in the central position showed no significant EBIC contrast at 300 K, suggesting low contamination level. GBs in the top and bottom positions, however, showed strong EBIC contrast at 300 K, suggesting high contamination level. At 100 K, a denuded zone with bright contrast developed around GBs in the top and bottom positions. The existence of the denuded zone suggested that impurities were gettered at the GBs. It was considered that the variation of the diffusion length in the ingot was related to the variation of recombination activities of GBs in the different positions, which mainly depended on the impurity contamination.