Mechanical effects of chemical etchings on monocrystalline silicon for photovoltaic use

The mechanical effects of two etching treatments commonly applied on silico n wafers for the PV industry, are considered. The failure characteristics o f this material under concentrated load are shown. In both cases, the maxim um elongation and sustainable load of the etched wafers were measured to be higher than those of the original sample. The employed experimental proced ure and results are presented here and a statistical data analysis substant iates the results observed. An attempt of explanation for this effect is of fered based on the removal of a shallow highly defective layer induced by t he etching of the material. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reser ved.