The properties of polycrystalline silicon solar cells with controlled titanium additions

By coupling the results of electrical measurements, such as spectral response, lighted and dark I-V determinations, and deep-level-transient spectroscopy with optical and laser scan photomicroscopy, we have evaluated the effects of grain boundaries and impurities on silicon solar cells. Titanium which produces two deep levels, and eV, in silicon, degrades cell performance by reducing bulk lifetime and thus cell short-circuit current. Electrically active grain boundaries induce carrier recombination in the bulk as well as in the depletion region of the solar cell. Experimental data imply a small but measurable segregation of titanium into some grain boundaries of the polycrystalline silicon containing high Ti concentration (2 × 10¹⁴cm^-3). However for the titanium-contaminated polycrystalline material used in this study, solar cell performance is dominated by the electrically active titanium concentration in the grains. Microstructural impacts on the devices are of secondary importance.