Analysis of Lattice Distortion in Multicrystalline Silicon for Photovoltaic Cells by Synchrotron White X-ray Microbeam Diffraction

A synchrotron white x-ray microbeam diffraction method was employed to investigate lattice distortion in multicrystalline silicon for photovoltaic cells. The measurements were carried out by scanning the sample, and transmission Laue patterns were observed at each position on the sample. Intensity and position maps of the Laue spots showed the distribution of the crystalline quality of the grains and the bending of the lattice planes. Strain and bending distributions were extracted from an analysis of Laue spots at diagonal positions, and these were compared with those obtained by other techniques.