Investigation of dislocation structures in ribbon- and ingot-grown multicrystalline silicon

In this paper, an experimental study of dislocation structures in multicrystalline silicon is presented. The alignment of dislocations in samples from both edge-defined film-fed growth and ingot crystallization by vertical Bridgman growth is investigated. Crystallographic orientations of single grains and dislocation structures are analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction and infrared microscopy. {111} and {211} planes are identified to be the typical crystallographic planes, where dislocations are arranged. It is concluded that {111} and {211} planes are involved in plastic deformation and recovery processes during growth, respectively. In ribbon-grown samples, the dislocations are mainly arranged on {111} slip planes, whereas an arrangement on {211} planes prevails in ingot-grown samples. The influence of the growth and cooling conditions on the final alignment of dislocations in mc-Si is discussed and a possible explanation for a different annealing behaviour of ribbon- and ingot-grown crystals is given. •Dislocation structures in ribbon- and ingot-grown mc-Si are studied systematically.•{111} and {211} planes are identified to be the characteristic crystallographic planes, where dislocations are arranged.•A dislocation arrangement in {111} planes results from plastic deformation, while an arrangement in {211} planes can be attributed to recovery processes.•Growth and cooling conditions play a major role for the alignment and annealing behaviour of dislocations in mc-Si crystals.