• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.17-20
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• 2018

The dependency of the photovoltaic performance of p-/n-type silicon solar-cells on the metallic contaminant type (Fe, Cu, and Ni) and concentration was investigated. The minority-carrier recombination lifetime was degraded with increasing metallic contaminant concentration, however, the degradation sensitivity of recombination lifetime was lower at n-type than p-type silicon wafer, which means n-type silicon wafer have an immunity to the effect of metallic contamination. This is because heavy metal ions with positive charge have a much larger capture cross section of electron than hole, so that reaction with electrons occurs much more easily. The power conversion efficiency of n-type solar-cells was degraded by 9.73% when metallic impurities were introduced in the silicon bulk, which is lower degradation compared to p-type solar-cells (15.61% of efficiency degradation). Therefore, n-type silicon solar-cells have a potential to achieve high efficiency of the solar-cell in the future with a merit of immunity against metal contamination.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.55-60
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• 2024

This study explored the effect of double-stacked SiO_X/SiN_X layers on the passivation quality of n-type bifacial crystalline Si solar cells. SiO_X layers were deposited via PECVD under various conditions on n-type silicon wafers with a boron emitter. These layers were capped with SiN_X and thermally treated to optimize the passivation. The optimal conditions resulted in a minority-carrier lifetime of 268 μsec and an implied V_OC of 692 mV. The optimized SiO_X layer had a low interface defect density and high fixed negative charge. When applied to n-type solar cells, the SiO_X/SiN_X stack improved the performance, achieving a V_OC of 646 mV, J_SC of 39.3 mA/cm², FF of 78.06%, and efficiency of 19.82%, demonstrating the potential for higher efficiency in n-type silicon solar cells.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.124-128
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• 2018

N-type porous silicon (PS) layers and thermally oxidized PS layers have been characterized by various measuring techniques such as photoluminescence (PL), Raman spectroscopy, IR, HRSEM and transmittance measurements. The top surface of PS layer shows a stronger photoluminescence peak than its bottom part, and this is ascribed to the difference in number of fine silicon particles of 2~3 nm in diameter. Observed characteristics of PL spectra are explained in terms of microstructures in the n-type PS layers. Common features for both p-type and n-type PS layers are as follows: the parts which can emit visible photoluminescence are not amorphous, but crystalline, and such parts are composed of nanocrystallites of several nm's whose orientations are slightly different from Si substrate, and such fine silicon particles absorb much hydrogen atoms near the surfaces. Light emission is strongly dependent on such fine silicon particles. Photoluminescence is due to charge carrier confinement in such three dimensional structure (sponge-like structure). Characteristics of visible light emission from n-type PS can be explained in terms of modification of band structure accompanied by bandgap widening and localized levels in bandstructure. It is also shown that hydrogen and oxygen atoms existing on residual silicon parts play an important role on emission stability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.52-52
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• 2011

A novel deposition process for n-type nanocrystalline silicon (n-type nc-Si) thin films at room temperature has been developed by adopting the neutral beam assisted chemical vapor deposition (NBa-CVD). During formation of n-type nc-Si thin film by the NBa-CVD process with silicon reflector electrode at room temperature, the energetic particles could induce enhance doping efficiency and crystalline phase in polymorphous-Si thin films without additional heating on substrate; The dark conductivity and substrate temperature of P-doped polymorphous~nano crystalline silicon thin films increased with increasing the reflector bias. The NB energy heating substrate(but lower than $80^{\circ}C$ and increase doping efficiency. This low temperature processed doped nano-crystalline can address key problem in applications from flexible display backplane thin film transistor to flexible solar cell.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.19-23
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• 2012

We report microbolometer characteristic with n-type and p-type amorphous silicon thin film. The n-type and p-type amorphous silicon thin films were made by PECVD. The electrical properties of n-type and p-type a-Si:H thin films were investigated as a function of doping gas flow rate. The doping gas used $B_2H_6/Ar$ (1:9) and $PH_3/Ar$ (1:9). In general, the conductivity of doping a-Si:H thin films increased as doping gas increase but the conductivity of a-Si:H thin films decreased as the doping gas increase because doping gas concentration increase led to dilution gas (Ar) increase as the same time. We fabricated an amorphous silicon microbolometer using surface micromachining technology. The fabricated microbolometer had a negative TCR of 2.3%. The p-type microbolometer had responsivity of $5{\times}10^4V/W$ and high detectivity of $3{\times}10^8cm(Hz)^{1/2}/W$. The p-type microbolometer had more detectivity than n-type for less noise value.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.188-195
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• 1988

The electronic states in implanted n-type silicon inversion layers have been calculated by solving Schrodinger and Poisson's equations self-consistently. The results show that implantation affects seriously energy levels, populations, and electron distribution of n-type silicon inversion layers. The calcualted channel charge is in excellent agreement with the experimental data reported elsewhere. This analysis is expected to provide powerful means to evaluate the performance of implanted n-channel MOSTs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.241-241
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• 2008

Macrofore formation in silicon and other semiconductors using electrochemical etching processes has been, in the last years, a subject of great attention of both theory and practice. Its first reason of concern is new areas of macropore silicone applications arising from microelectromechanical systems processing (MEMS), membrane techniques, solar cells, sensors, photonic crystals, and new technologies like a silicon-on-nothing (SON) technology. Its formation mechanism with a rich variety of controllable microstructures and their many potential applications have been studied extensively recently. Porous silicon is formed by anodic etching of crystalline silicon in hydrofluoric acid. During the etching process holes are required to enable the dissolution of the silicon anode. For p-type silicon, holes are the majority charge carriers, therefore porous silicon can be formed under the action of a positive bias on the silicon anode. For n-type silicon, holes to dissolve silicon is supplied by illuminating n-type silicon with above-band-gap light which allows sufficient generation of holes. To make a desired three-dimensional nano- or micro-structures, pre-structuring the masked surface in KOH solution to form a periodic array of etch pits before electrochemical etching. Due to enhanced electric field, the holes are efficiently collected at the pore tips for etching. The depletion of holes in the space charge region prevents silicon dissolution at the sidewalls, enabling anisotropic etching for the trenches. This is correct theoretical explanation for n-type Si etching. However, there are a few experimental repors in p-type silicon, while a number of theoretical models have been worked out to explain experimental dependence observed. To perform ordered macrofore formaion for p-type silicon, various kinds of mask patterns to make initial KOH etch pits were used. In order to understand the roles played by the kinds of etching solution in the formation of pillar arrays, we have undertaken a systematic study of the solvent effects in mixtures of HF, N-dimethylformamide (DMF), iso-propanol, and mixtures of HF with water on the macrofore structure formation on monocrystalline p-type silicon with a resistivity varying between 10 ~ 0.01 $\Omega$ cm. The etching solution including the iso-propanol produced a best three dimensional pillar structures. The experimental results are discussed on the base of Lehmann's comprehensive model based on SCR width.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2019

Most high-efficiency n-type silicon solar cells are based on the high quality surface passivation and ohmic contact between the emitter and the metal. Currently, various metalization methods such as screen printing using metal paste and physical vapor deposition are being used in forming electrodes of n-type silicon solar cell. In this paper, we analyzed the degradation factors induced by the front electrode formation process using e-beam evaporation of double passivation structure of p-type emitter and $Al_2O_3/SiN_x$ for high efficiency solar cell using n-type bulk silicon. In order to confirm the cause of the degradation, the passivation characteristics of each electrode region were determined through a quasi-steady-state photo-conductance (QSSPC).

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.39-43
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• 2017

It was confirmed that the silicon thin films fabricated on the p-Si (100) substrates by using DIPAS (DiIsoPropylAminoSilane) and TDMA-Sb (Tris-DiMethylAminoAntimony) sources by RPCVD method were amorphous and n-type silicon. The fabricated amorphous n-type silicon films had electron carrier concentrations and electron mobilities ranged from $6.83{\times}10^{18}cm^{-3}$ to $1.27{\times}10^{19}cm^{-3}$ and from 62 to $89cm^2/V{\cdot}s$, respectively. The ideality factor of the pn junction diode fabricated on the p-Si (100) substrate was about 1.19 and the efficiency of the fabricated pn solar cell was 10.87%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2000.05b
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• pp.7-12
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• 2000

This paper presents the electrochemical etch-stop characteristics of single-crystal silicon in a tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide(TMAH):isopropyl alcohol(IPA):pyrazine solution. Addition of pyrazine to a TMAH:IPA etchant increases the etch-rate of (100) silicon, thus the elapsed time for etch-stop was shortened. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of n- and p-type silicon in a TMAH:IPA:pyrazine solution were obtained, respectively. Open circuit potential(OCP) and passivation potential(PP) of n- and p-type silicon, respectively, were obtained and applied potential was selected between n- and p-type silicon PP. The electrochemical etch-stop is applied to the fabrication of 801 microdiaphragms having $20{\mu}m$ thickness on a 5-inch silicon wafer. The averge thicknesses of 801 microdiaphragms fabricated on the one wafer were $20.03{\mu}m$ and standard deviation was ${\pm}0.26{\mu}m$. The silicon surface of the etch-stopped microdiaphragm was extremely flat without noticeable taper or other nonuniformities. The benefits of the electrochemical etch-stop in a TMAH:IPA:pyrazine solution become apparent when reproducibility in the microdiaphragm thickness for mass production is considered. These results indicate that the electrochemical etch-stop in a TMAH:IPA:pyrazine solution provides a powerful and versatile alternative process for fabricating high-yield silicon microdiaphragms.