Visualization and analysis of active dopant distribution in a p-i-n structured amorphous silicon solar cell using scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy

Abstract

Cross-sectional dopant profiling and depletion layer visualization of SiC power double diffused metal-oxidesemiconductor field effect transistor using super-higher-order nonlinear dielectric microscopy Journal of Applied Physics 116, 084509 (2014) Scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy (SNDM) and super-higher-order (SHO-) SNDM were used for dopant profiling analysis of a cross-section of the p-i-n structure of an amorphous silicon solar cell. The p-i-n and zigzag structures of each layer boundary were visualized as carrier polarity and density images on 10-20 nm scale through a SNDM measurement. A capacitance-voltage curve was obtained at each pixel in the scan area through a SHO-SNDM measurement. The obtained SNDM and SHO-SNDM data suggest that the i-layer was not completely intrinsic, but was very-low-density p-type. C 2015 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.[http://dx

Boxcar Averaging Scanning Nonlinear Dielectric Microscopy

“…SNDM was originally devised for imaging electric anisotropy of dielectrics such as ferroelectric domains [ 4 ] and has the potential to become a key technology for ferroelectric probe data storage enabling Tbit/inch 2 recording density [ 5 , 6 ]. The scope of applications has also extended to the nanoscale evaluation of semiconductor materials and devices, including dopant profiling in miniaturized transistors [ 7 , 8 ], imaging the stored charges in flash memories [ 9 ], carrier distribution imaging on SiC power transistors [ 10 ], amorphous and monocrystalline Si solar cells [ 11 , 12 ], and atomically-thin layered semiconductors [ 13 , 14 ]. SNDM and its potentiometric extension can show true atomic resolution in surface dipole imaging on a Si (111)-(7 × 7) surface [ 15 , 16 ] and single-layer graphene on SiC [ 17 ].…”

Nanoscale linear permittivity imaging based on scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy

“…There have been many reports concerning the observation of domain structures in ferroelectrics [26][27][28] using this technique as well as its application to high-density storage devices [29,30]. Additionally, SNDM can be used to characterize semiconductor devices, taking advantage of the ability of this technique to evaluate the local distributions of carriers, space charges and defects [31][32][33][34][35]. The extremely high spatial resolution of SNDM also enables the atomic scale analysis of surface dipole moments on various materials in an ultrahigh vacuum environment [36,37].…”