Growth optimization of multicrystalline silicon

Multicrystalline silicon has a high commercial potential for solar cell applications. The further improvement of the efficiency of multicrystalline solar cell depends on the control and reduction of lattice defects, such as unfavorable grain boundaries, dislocations, certain impurities and their precipitates. Experimental and numerical simulation results are presented, which improve the understanding of the nucleation mechanisms of the most important defects during crystal growth. The interaction processes between dislocations and metal impurities are investigated in detail. Measurements of the recombination behavior of dislocations and the contamination level are given. Finally, optimization strategies will be discussed.