Characterization of Ga Co-Doping mc-Si Ingot Made of Solar-Grade Silicon Purified by Metallurgical Route

Abstract

In this paper, we investigated the characterization of a gallium co-doping multicrystalline silicon ingot made of solar-grade silicon purified by metallurgical route. It is shown that the addition of gallium yields a fully p-type ingot and resistivity distribution in the range from 1.2 Ω.cm to1.7 Ω.cm along the full ingot height. Minority carrier lifetime measurements indicate that this material is suitable for the production of solar cells with comparable efficiencies to standard material. In addition, gallium addition in compensated silicon during ingot casting is proved to be very prospective for controlling the resistivity and increasing material yield of ingot.