Photoelectronic characterization of n-type silicon wafers using photocarrier radiometry

Photocarrier radiometry (PCR) was used to characterize four n-type silicon wafers with different resistivity values in the 1–20 Ω cm range. Simulations of the PCR signal have been performed to study the influence of the recombination lifetime and front surface recombination velocity on them; besides, the transport parameters (carrier recombination lifetime, diffusion coefficient, and frontal surface recombination) of the wafers were obtained by means of a fitting procedure. The PCR images that are related to the lifetime are presented, and the first photoelectronic images of a porous silicon sample are obtained.