Minority carrier lifetime in SiO 2 sputter-coated silicon

Abstract

Minority carrier lifetime in silicon wafer, covered with SiO 2 by both rf-diode and planar magnetron sputtering, was 2 or 3 orders of magnitude in the former and about 1 20 in the latter less than the uncoated region. The lifetimes in both deposited and undeposited areas had their depth profiles in the surface layer of the sample. In the case of planar magnetron sputtering, the minority carrier lifetime in an in static mode sputtered sample was half of that in an in rotation mode sputtered sample. The effect of masking materials was examined in a planar magnetron sputtered wafer which had an initial lifetime of tlie 100 micro sec. The value of the minority carrier lifetime in the static mode was sputtered region for non-masked, Al (1 micro m), Si (1.5 mm) and Al (1 micro) + Si (1.5 mm) masked regions were 15, 28, 34 and 64 micro sec, respectively.