Grain boundary potential determination in polycrystalline silicon by the scanning light spot technique

Abstract

Local grain boundary potential has been determined by scanning light spot technique. Photocurrent peaks vary from boundary to boundary giving a strong peak for large-angle grain boundaries and becoming negligible for the smallest-angle grain boundaries observed. The largest potentials had typical values of around 0.3 eV and the corresponding interface state densities were in the 1013 cm−2 range.