ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Muon spin spectroscopy to probe depth-dependent carrier lifetimes in silicon photovoltaics

Abstract: Crystalline silicon is used for >90% of photovoltaic solar cells. Electron-hole pairs are produced when light of certain frequencies is absorbed. Some of these charge carriers are lost due to recombination processes in the silicon before they are collected, and the lifetime (or diffusion length) of the carriers defines the quality of a silicon wafer. A new ISIS-developed muon spin spectroscopy technique has advantages over incumbent methods as it is possible to: (i) implant the muon beam to different depths to give depth-dependent lifetime; and (ii) implant muons through metallic layers to enable lifetimes to be measured in completed cells. Our objectives are to use this technique to: (i) separate bulk- and surface-related recombination; (ii) understand passivation activation annealing processes; and (iii) make the first direct lifetime measurements in completed silicon cells.

Public release date: 29 May 2024

Principal Investigator: Professor John Murphy
Experimenter: Dr Nicholas Grant
Experimenter: Dr James Lord
Experimenter: Miss Ailish Wratten
Local Contact: Dr Koji Yokoyama
Experimenter: Dr Sophie Pain
Experimenter: Mr Alex Pointon

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2010023-2

Parent DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2010023

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2010023

Part Number: 2

Date of Experiment: 27 May 2021

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Professor John Murphy et al; (2021): Muon spin spectroscopy to probe depth-dependent carrier lifetimes in silicon photovoltaics, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2010023-2

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.