Dynamic interaction, transmission or pile-up, of dislocations vs Σ3 twin boundaries in solar-cell Si

What is it about?

We report transmissions of dislocations across grown-in Σ3 {111} twin boundaries in mc-Si by the etch pit technique and X-ray topography. Screw dislocations freshly generated from a surface scratch stopped their motion at the boundaries and piled-up there. Contrarily, non-screw type dislocations generated newly from the twin boundaries into the adjacent grain due to a stress concentration by piled-up dislocations. Finally, we revealed the resistance stress of twin boundaries against dislocation and discussed a dislocation transmission against Σ3 twin boundaries.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

These studies can provide basic knowledge to suppress dislocation propagations across grain boundaries in solar-cell mc-Si under accurate stress control. The evaluated resistance in our present study can be useful as a measure for suppressing dislocation propagation across boundaries and further dislocation multiplication under an accurate stress control during solidification of mc-Si and also mono-like Si. These results contribute to a detailed elucidation of the resistance of GB to dislocation transmission in semiconductors and also in metals.

Perspectives