Effect of Σ3 generation on random grain boundaries in multicrystalline silicon

The effect of Σ3 generation on random grain boundaries (R-GBs) were investigated using multicrystalline Si (mc-Si) grown from the microcrystalline template with random orientation. There existed three cases for the contrast variation of electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) on R-GBs after Σ3 generation from them, namely decrease, increase and constant cases. No clear tendency of EBIC contrast variation was found at the initial growth stage. On the other hand, the constant case became dominant at the steady state. This result indicates that Σ3 generation does not affect the electrical activity of R-GBs.