Degradation of Crystalline Silicon Due to Boron–Oxygen Defects

Abstract

This paper gives an overview on the current understanding of a technologically relevant defect group in crystalline silicon related to the presence of boron and oxygen. It is commonly addressed as boron-oxygen defects and has been found to affect silicon devices, whose performance depends on minority charge carrier diffusion lengths-such as solar cells. The defects are a common limitation in Czochralski-grown p-type silicon, and their recombination activity develops under charge carrier injection and is, thus, commonly referred to as light-induced degradation. A multitude of studies investigating the effect have been published and introduced various trends and interpretations. This review intends to summarize established trends and provide a consistent nomenclature for the defect transitions in order to simplify discussion.