Threading dislocation density characterization in III–V photovoltaic materials by electron channeling contrast imaging

Abstract

Accurate and rapid threading dislocation density (TDD) characterization of III–V photovoltaic materials using electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) is demonstrated. TDDs measured using ECCI showed close agreement with those from electron beam-induced current mapping (EBIC) and defect selective etching (DSE). ECCI is shown to be well-suited for measuring TDD values over a range of ~5×106–5×108cm−2. ECCI can distinguish individual dislocations in clusters closer than 0.2µm, highlighting its excellent spatial resolution compared to DSE and EBIC. Taken together, ECCI is shown to be a versatile and complementary method to rapidly quantify TDD in III–V solar cells.