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Direct observation of hydrogen at defects in multicrystalline silicon
Author(s) -
Tweddle David,
Hamer Phillip,
Shen Zhao,
Markevich Vladimir P.,
Moody Michael P.,
Wilshaw Peter R.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.3184
Subject(s) - passivation , materials science , silicon , hydrogen , grain boundary , crystallography , diffraction , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , metallurgy , chemistry , optics , microstructure , physics , organic chemistry , layer (electronics)
Hydrogen passivation is a key industrial technique used to reduce the recombination activity of defects in multicrystalline silicon (mc‐Si). However, not all dislocations and grain boundaries respond well to traditional hydrogen passivation techniques. In order to understand the reasons for these different behaviours, and how superior passivation might be achieved, a method is required for the direct observation of hydrogen at these defects. Here, we present a novel characterisation technique based on a combination of transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD), atom probe tomography (APT), and isotopic substitution that enables unambiguous detection and quantification of hydrogen atoms present at crystallographic defects in mc‐Si.