An attempt was made to clarify relationship between grain boundary structures in Si multicrystals and generation of dislocations during crystal growth. Systematic variation of grain boundary structures was achieved by ensuring dendritic nucleation in the initial stage of crystal growth. Etch-pit observations revealed that the contact angle of adjacent dendrite crystals to form a grain boundary affects generation of dislocations. Experimentally observed dislocation density was found to be well correlated with shear stress around the grain boundary calculated by finite element analysis.

Relationship between Grain Boundary Structures in Si Multicrystals and Generation of Dislocations during Crystal Growth. N.Usami, R.Yokoyama, I.Takahashi, K.Kutsukake, K.Fujiwara, K.Nakajima: Journal of Applied Physics, 2010, 107[1], 013511