Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Understanding the evolution of the pop-out effect in Si-based structures for photovoltaics

  • Published:
Surface Engineering and Applied Electrochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The most interesting phenomenon observed during nanoindentation of Si is the strain burst which occurs during unloading. This feature is referred to as a “pop-out” effect, and it is linked to the phase transformation that occurs underneath the indenter at high stresses. One of the peculiarities of this effect is the observed linear dependence between the depth at which the “pop-out” effect occurs and the maximum penetration depth. By performing a systematic study on the doped Si as well as on photovoltaic structures such as ITO/Si and SnO2/Si, it is shown that this linearity holds for different unloading rates, which strongly affects the “pop-out” appearance and contact pressure. Furthermore, it is illustrated that that phase transformation in the doped Si is delayed when it is coated with a thin film due to the tension preservation in the imprint under the film coating. This observation suggests that the mechanical properties at the interface between thin films and Si substrates in coated systems (MEMs and photovoltaics) should be further investigated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kriese, M.D., Gerberich, W.W., and Moody, N.R., Quantitative adhesion measures of multilayer films: Part I. Indentation mechanics, J. Mat. Res., 1999, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 3007–3018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Gerberich, W.W., Kramer, D.E., Tymiak, N.I., Volinsky, A.A., Bahr, D.F., and Kriese, M.D., Nanoindentation-induced defect-interface interactions: phenomena, methods and limitations, Acta Mat., 1999, vol. 47, no. 15, pp. 4115–4123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Kriese, M.D., Boismier, D.A., Moody, N.R., and Gerberich, W.W., Nanomechanical fracture-testing of thin films, Eng. Fract. Mech., 1998, vol. 61, pp. 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Volinsky, A.A., Moody, N.R., and Gerberich, W.W., Inter-facial toughness measurements for thin films on substrates, Acta Mat., 2002, vol. 50, pp. 441–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Stone, D., LaFontaine, W.R., Alexopoulos, P., Wu, T.W., and Li, C.-Y., An investigation of hardness and adhesion of sputter-deposited aluminum on silicon by utilizing a continuous indentation test, J. Mater. Res., 1988, vol. 3, no. 01, pp. 141–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Pharr, G.M., Oliver, W.C., and Clarke, D.R., The mechanical behavior of silicon during small-scale indentation, J. Electron. Mater., 1990, vol. 19, no. 9, pp. 881–887.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bradby, J.E., Williams, J.S., Wong-Leung, J., Swain, M.V., and Munroe, P., Transmission electron microscopy observation of deformation microstructure under spherical indentation in silicon, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2000, vol. 77, p. 3749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Zarudi, I., Zhang, L.C., Cheong, W.C.D., and Yu, T.X., The difference of phase distributions in silicon after indentation with berkovich and spherical indenters, Acta Materialia, 2005, vol. 53, pp. 4795–4800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Hu Huang, Hongwei Zhao, Chengli Shi, Lin Zhang, Shunguang Wan, and Chunyang Geng, Randomness and statistical laws of indentation-induced pop-out in single crystal silicon, Materials, 2013, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 1496–1505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Gerk, A.P. and Tabor, D., Indentation hardness and semiconductor-metal transition of germanium and silicon, Nature, 1978, vol. 271, pp. 732–733.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Zarudi, I., Zou, J., and Zhang, L.C., Microstructures of phases in indented silicon: a high rezolution characterization, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2003, vol. 82, no. 6, pp. 874–876.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Grabko, D.Z. and Harea, E.E., “Pop-out” effect in ITO/Si and SnO2/Si structures, Surf. Eng. Appl. Electrochem., 2013, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 36–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Yan, J.W., Takahashi, H., Gai, X.H., Harada, H., Tamaki, J., and Kuriyagawa, T., Load effects on the phase transformation of single-crystal silicon during nano-indentation tests, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 2006, vol. 423, pp. 19–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Bradby, J.E., Williams, J.S., Wong-Leung, J., Swain, M.V., and Munroe, P., Mechanical deformation in silicon by micro-indentation, J. Mater. Res., 2001, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 1500–1507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Domnich, V., Gogotsi, Y., and Dub, S., Effect of phase transformations on the shape of the unloading curve in the nanoindentation of silicon, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2000, vol. 76, no. 16, pp. 2214–2216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Liu, Y.H., Chen, T.C., Yang, P.F., Jian, S.R., and Lai, Y.S., Atomic-level simulations of nanoindentation-induced phase transformation in mono-crystalline silicon, Appl. Surf. Sci., 2007, vol. 254, pp. 1415–1422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Rao, R., Bradby, J.E., and Williams, J.S., Patterning of silicon by indentation and chemical etching, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2007, vol. 91, no. 12, p. 123113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Simashkevich, A.V., Sherban, D.A., Bruk, L.I., Kharya, E.E., and Usatii, Iu., Efficient ITO/nSi solar cells with silicon textured surface, Surf. Eng. Appl. Electrochem., 2011, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 266–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Yin Zhi Chen, Hong Chuan Jiang, Shu Wen Jiang, Xing Zhao Liu, and Wan Li Zhang, Thin film thermocouples for surface temperature measurement of turbine blade, Advanced Materials Research, 2014, vol. 873, pp. 420–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Kai Wah Yeung and Chung Wo Ong, Micro-pressure sensors made of indium tin oxide thin films, Sensors and Actuators A, 2007, vol. 137, pp. 1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Gregory, O.J. and Tao You, Piezoresistive properties of ITO strain sensors prepared with controlled nanoporosity, J. Electrochem. Soc., 2004, vol. 151, no. 8, pp. H198–H203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Simashkevich, A., Sherban, D., Bruc, L., Coval, A., Fedorov, V., Bobeico, E., and Usatii, Iu., Spray deposited ITO/nSi solar cells with enlarged area, Proc. of the 20th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 2005, pp. 980–982.

    Google Scholar 

  23. ISO 14577-4: Test Method for Metallic and Nonmetallic Coatings.

  24. Oliver, W.C. and Pharr, G.M., Measurement of hardness and elastic modulus by instrumented indentation: advances in understanding and refinements to methodology, J. Mater. Research, 2004, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 3–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Rosenfeld, L.G., Ritter, J.E., Lardner, T.J., and Lin, M.R., Use of the microindentation technique for determining interfacial fracture energy, J. Appl. Phys., 1990, vol. 67, no. 7, pp. 3291–3296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Fischer-Cripps, A., Nanoindentation. Mechanical Engineering Series 1, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Juliano, T., Gogotsi, Yu., and Domnich, V., Effect of indentation unloading conditions on phase transformation induced events in silicon, J. Mater. Res., 2003, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 1192–1201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Applied Physics, ASM, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

    E. E. Harea

  2. Lab of Mechanics and Materials, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece

    E. E. Harea & K. E. Aifantis

  3. Civil Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    K. E. Aifantis

Authors
  1. E. E. Harea
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. E. Aifantis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. E. Aifantis.

Additional information

The article is published in the original.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Harea, E.E., Aifantis, K.E. Understanding the evolution of the pop-out effect in Si-based structures for photovoltaics. Surf. Engin. Appl.Electrochem. 50, 497–503 (2014). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068375514060040

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068375514060040

Keywords

Search

Navigation