Defence in the field of Micro and Nanosciences M. Sc. (Tech.) Alessandro Inglese

The title of thesis is “On the light-activation of copper impurities in crystalline silicon: root cause analysis and applications for fast high-resolution imaging”

Silicon is the workhorse material of a variety of semiconductor-based devices. While in integrated circuits extensive research on this material has resulted in ever-increasing levels of miniaturization, in photovoltaic applications continuous advances in crystallization processes have resulted in efficient and cost-effective solar cells. A common requirement among all applications of silicon is the de-mand for increasingly stringent levels of purity and crystal perfection.   

This dissertation focuses on one of the most insidious metallic contaminants in silicon materials, i.e. copper, and presents a comprehensive study of a parasitic effect caused by such impurity, which is often referred to as light-induced degra-dation. Since this phenomenon is triggered by exposure to visible light, such par-asitic effect is a particular issue in photovoltaic devices and light detectors.

This dissertation primarily aims to shed light on the root cause behind the copper-related light-induced degradation. On the base of the new knowledge acquired through these fundamental studies, this thesis work proposes an advanced algo-rithm for quantitatively estimating the impurity density from customary characteri-zation measurements. As a result, copper contamination in silicon materials can be monitored and quantified during all steps of device fabrication, such that con-taminated materials can be identified and excluded from manufacturing lines.   

Opponent: Dr. Ronald A. Sinton, Sinton Consulting Inc., United States

Supervisor:  Professor Hele Savin, Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering.

Venue: Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Maarintie 8, Hall AS1

Thesis website
Notice of dissertation defence (pdf.)
Alessandro Inglese, +358 469596665, alessandro.inglese@aalto.fi