HALL-EFFECT ANALYSIS OF LIQUID-PHASE EPITAXY SILICON FOR THIN-FILM SOLAR-CELLS

We use variable temperature Hall effect measurements to determine the doping concentration, impurity compensation, and mobility of n- and p- type liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) silicon layers that are grown from ind ium solutions onto silicon substrates. Our theoretical analysis of car rier concentration versus temperature data considers temperature-depen dent effective masses, Fermi-Dirac statistics, multiple majority impur ity levels, excited impurity states, and the temperature dependence of the Hall scattering factor. The measured Hall mobilities and computed compensation ratios in these LPE silicon thin films are within the ra nge of values that have been measured in bulk silicon crystals. Such L PE layers are therefore suitable for the fabrication of high efficienc y silicon thin film solar cells.