Optical microscopy was used to investigate dislocations in mc-Si grown via the industrial directional solidification method. It was found that the distribution of dislocations in mc-Si was highly inhomogeneous from one grain to another. High inhomogeneity in dislocation distribution was also observed in individual grains. A large number of slip dislocations were generally observed in mc-Si. The origin of dislocations, the distribution inhomogeneity of dislocations, and their effects upon the photovoltaic properties of mc-Si solar cells were considered.

An Optical Microscopy Study of Dislocations in Multicrystalline Silicon Grown by Directional Solidification Method. N.Chen, S.Qiu, B.Liu, G.Du, G.Liu, W.Sun: Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, 2010, 13[4], 276-80