Physical mechanisms of boron diffusion gettering of iron in silicon

Abstract We have studied the boron diffusion gettering (BDG) of iron in single crystalline silicon. The results show that iron is gettered efficiently by electrically inactive boron, which leads to gettering efficiencies comparable to phosphorus diffusion gettering (PDG). In addition we discuss the different physical mechanisms behind BDG. We also consider the possibilities of using boron diffusion gettering in solar cell fabrication and discuss the role of boron and iron concentration in the optimization of gettering efficiency. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)