• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.357-357
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• 2012

The doping process of the solar cell has been used by furnace or laser. But these equipment are so expensive as well as those need high maintenance costs and production costs. The atmospheric pressure plasma doping process can enable to the cost reduction. Moreover the atmospheric pressure plasma can do the selective doping, this means is that the atmospheric pressure plasma regulates the junction depth and doping concentration. In this study, we analysis the atmospheric pressure plasma doping compared to the conventional furnace doping. the single crystal silicon wafer doped with dopant forms a P-N junction by using the atmospheric pressure plasma. We use a P type wafer and it is doped by controlling the plasma process time and concentration of dopant and plasma intensity. We measure the wafer's doping concentration and depth by using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), and we use the Hall measurement because of investigating the carrier concentration and sheet resistance. We also analysis the composed element of the surface structure by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and we confirm the structure of the doped section by using Scanning electron microscope (SEM), we also generally grasp the carrier life time through using microwave detected photoconductive decay (u-PCD). As the result of experiment, we confirm that the electrical character of the atmospheric pressure plasma doping is similar with the electrical character of the conventional furnace doping.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.23-29
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• 2013

Furnace and laser is currently the most important doping process. However furnace is typically difficult appling for selective emitters. Laser requires an expensive equipment and induces a structural damage due to high temperature using laser. This study has developed a new atmospheric pressure plasma source and research atmospheric pressure plasma doping. Atmospheric pressure plasma source injected Ar gas is applied a low frequency (a few 10 kHz) and discharged the plasma. We used P type silicon wafers of solar cell. We set the doping parameter that plasma treatment time was 6s and 30s, and the current of making the plasma is 70 mA and 120 mA. As result of experiment, prolonged plasma process time and highly plasma current occur deeper doping depth and improve sheet resistance. We investigated doping profile of phosphorus paste by SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy) and obtained the sheet resistance using generally formula. Additionally, grasped the wafer surface image with SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) to investigate surface damage of doped wafer. Therefore we confirm the possibility making the selective emitter of solar cell applied atmospheric pressure plasma doping with phosphorus paste.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.120-123
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• 2014

Thermal doping method using furnace is generally used for solar-cell wafer doping. It takes a lot of time and high cost and use toxic gas. Generally selective emitter doping using laser, but laser is very high equipment and induce the wafer's structure damage. In this study, we apply atmospheric pressure plasma for solar-cell wafer doping. We fabricated that the atmospheric pressure plasma jet injected Ar gas is inputted a low frequency (1 kHz ~ 100 kHz). We used shallow doping wafers existing PSG (Phosphorus Silicate Glass) on the shallow doping CZ P-type wafer (120 ohm/square). SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy) are used for measuring wafer doping depth and concentration of phosphorus. We check that wafer's surface is not changed after plasma doping and atmospheric pressure doping width is broaden by increase of plasma treatment time and current.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.20-24
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• 2017

Currently, techniques mainly used in semiconductor impurity diffusion processes include furnace thermal diffusion, ion implantation, and vacuum plasma doping. However, there is a disadvantage that the process equipment and the unit cost are expensive. In this study, boron diffusion process using relatively inexpensive atmospheric plasma was conducted to solve this problem. With controlling parameters of Boron diffusion process, the doping characteristics were analyzed by using secondary ion mass spectrometry. As a result, the influence of each variable in the doping process was analyzed and the feasibility of atmospheric plasma doping was confirmed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.95-99
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• 2013

Furnace is currently the most important doping process using POCl3 in solar cell. However furnace need an expensive equipment cost and it has to purge a poisonous gas. Moreover, furnace typically difficult appling for selective emitters. In this study, we developed a new atmospheric pressure plasma source, in this procedure, we research the atmospheric pressure plasma doping that dopant is phosphoric acid($H_3PO_4$). Metal tube injected Ar gas was inputted 5 kV of a low frequency(scores of kHz) induced inverter, so plasma discharged at metal tube. We used the P type silicon wafer of solar cell. We regulated phosphoric acid($H_3PO_4$) concentration on 10% and plasma treatment time is 90 s, 150 s, we experiment that plasma current is 70 mA. We check the doping depth that 287 nm at 90 s and 621 nm at 150 s. We analysis and measurement the doping profile by using SIMS(Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy). We calculate and grasp the sheet resistance using conventional sheet resistance formula, so there are 240 Ohm/sq at 90 s and 212 Ohm/sq at 150 s. We analysis oxygen and nitrogen profile of concentration compared with furnace to check the doped defect of atmosphere.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.227-232
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• 2014

In this study, we propose the application of doping process technology for atmospheric pressure plasma. The plasma treatment means the wafer is warmed via resistance heating from current paths. These paths are induced by the surface charge density in the presence of illuminating Argon atmospheric plasmas. Furthermore, it is investigated on the high-concentration doping to a selective partial region in P type solar cell wafer. It is identified that diffusion of impurities is related to the wafer temperature. For the fixed plasma treatment time, plasma currents were set with 40, 70, 120 mA. For the processing time, IR(Infra-Red) images are analyzed via a camera dependent on the temperature of the P type wafer. Phosphorus concentrations are also analyzed through SIMS profiles from doped wafer. According to the analysis for doping process, as applied plasma currents increase, so the doping depth becomes deeper. As the junction depth is deeper, so the surface resistance is to be lowered. In addition, the surface charge density has a tendency inversely proportional to the initial phosphorus concentration. Overall, when the plasma current increases, then it becomes higher temperatures in wafer. It is shown that the diffusion of the impurity is critically dependent on the temperature of wafers.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.301-311
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• 2012

Discharge property of plasma jet devices is investigated for the application to the doping processes of crystalline solar cells and others. Current-voltage characteristics are shown as the typical normal-glow discharge in the various gas pressure of plasma jets, such as in the atmospheric plasma jets of Ar-discharge, in the ambient pressure of atmospheric discharge, and in the ambient Ar-pressure of Ar-discharge. The discharge voltage of atmospheric plasma jet is required as low as about 2.5 kV while the operation voltage of low pressure below 200 Torr is low as about 1 kV in the discharge of atmospheric and Ar plasma jets. With a single channel plasma jet, the irradiated plasma current on the doped silicon wafer is obtained high as the range of 10~50 mA. The temperature increasement of wafer is normally about $200^{\circ}C$. In the result of silicon wafers doped by phosphoric acid with irradiating the plasma jets, the doping profiles of phosphorus atoms shows the possibility of plasma jet doping on solar cells.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.238-244
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• 2013

Doping process using laser is an important process in fabrication of solar cell for heat treatment. However, the process of using the furnace is difficult to form a selective emitter doping region. The case of using a selective emitter laser doping is required an expensive laser equipment and induce the wafer's structure damage due to high temperature. This study, we fabricated a new costly plasma source. Through this, we research the selective emitter doping. We fabricated that the atmospheric pressure plasma jet injected Ar gas is inputted a low frequency (a few tens kHz). We used shallow doping wafers existing PSG (Phosphorus Silicate Glass) on the shallow doping CZ P-type wafer. Atmospheric plasma treatment time was 15 s and 30 s, and current for making the plasma is 40 mA and 70 mA. We investigated a doping profile by using SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy) and we grasp the sheet resistance of electrical character by using doping profile. As result of experiment, prolonged doping process time and highly plasma current occur a deeper doping depth, moreover improve sheet resistance. We grasped the wafer's surface damage after atmospheric pressure plasma doping by using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). We check that wafer's surface is not changed after plasma doping and atmospheric pressure doping width is broaden by increase of plasma treatment time and current.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.618-622
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• 2010

Cost-effective purification methods of silicon were carried out in order to replace the conventional Siemens method for solar grade silicon. Firstly, acid leaching which is a hydrometallurgical process was preceded with grinded silicon powders of metallurgical grade (~99% purity) to remove metallic impurities. Then, plasma treatments were performed with the leached silicon powders of 99.94% purity by argon plasma at 30 kW power under atmospheric pressure. Plasma treatment was specifically efficient for removing Zr, Y, and P but not for Al and B. Another purification step by EB treatment was also studied for the 99.92% silicon lump which resulted in the fast removal of boron and aluminum. That means the two methods are effective alternative tools for removing the doping elements like boron and phosphor.