The paper discusses the synchrotron-based microprobe techniques, X-ray beam induced current, X-ray fluorescence microscopy and X-ray absorption microspectroscopy, and their application to the study of the electrical activity of defects and the precipitation of transition metals in Si materials. Investigations were performed on samples of block-cast multicrystalline Si and on model samples cut from a bonded monocrystalline wafer. To analyze the precipitation sites, Ni, Cu and Fe were introduced intentionally. The detected precipitates were found to consist of silicides. Evidence for metal precipitates was also found in virtually uncontaminated as-grown block-cast Si. Besides Ni precipitates detected at a recombination active grain boundary, particles containing one or several metals (Cu, Fe, Ti, V) were observed. Unexpectedly, these particles seemed to exhibit low only recombination activity. Further studies were necessary to identify their nature.

Synchrotron Microscopy and Spectroscopy for Analysis of Crystal Defects in Silicon. W.Seifert, O.F.Vyvenko, T.Arguirov, A.Erko, M.Kittler, C.Rudolf, M.Salome, M.Trushin, I.Zizak: Physica Status Solidi C, 2009, 6[3], 765-71