Analysis of defect structure in silicon. Characterization of samples from UCP ingot 5848-13C

Statistically significant quantitative structural imperfection measurements were made on samples from ubiquitous crystalline process (UCP) Ingot 5848 - 13 C. Important trends were noticed between the measured data, cell efficiency, and diffusion length. Grain boundary substructure appears to have an important effect on the conversion efficiency of solar cells from Semix material. Quantitative microscopy measurements give statistically significant information compared to other microanalytical techniques. A surface preparation technique to obtain proper contrast of structural defects suitable for QTM analysis was perfected

Analysis of defect structure in silicon. Characterization of SEMIX material. Silicon sheet growth development for the large area silicon sheet task of the low-cost solar array project

Statistically significant quantitative structural imperfection measurements were made on samples from ubiquitous crystalline process (UCP) Ingot 5848 - 13C. Important correlation was obtained between defect densities, cell efficiency, and diffusion length. Grain boundary substructure displayed a strong influence on the conversion efficiency of solar cells from Semix material. Quantitative microscopy measurements gave statistically significant information compared to other microanalytical techniques. A surface preparation technique to obtain proper contrast of structural defects suitable for quantimet quantitative image analyzer (QTM) analysis was perfected and is used routinely. The relationships between hole mobility and grain boundary density was determined. Mobility was measured using the van der Pauw technique, and grain boundary density was measured using quantitative microscopy technique. Mobility was found to decrease with increasing grain boundary density

Phase field modeling of electrochemistry II: Kinetics

The kinetic behavior of a phase field model of electrochemistry is explored for advancing (electrodeposition) and receding (electrodissolution) conditions in one dimension. We described the equilibrium behavior of this model in [J. E. Guyer, W. J. Boettinger, J.A. Warren, and G. B. McFadden, ``Phase field modeling of electrochemistry I: Equilibrium'', cond-mat/0308173]. We examine the relationship between the parameters of the phase field method and the more typical parameters of electrochemistry. We demonstrate ohmic conduction in the electrode and ionic conduction in the electrolyte. We find that, despite making simple, linear dynamic postulates, we obtain the nonlinear relationship between current and overpotential predicted by the classical ``Butler-Volmer'' equation and observed in electrochemical experiments. The charge distribution in the interfacial double layer changes with the passage of current and, at sufficiently high currents, we find that the diffusion limited deposition of a more noble cation leads to alloy deposition with less noble species.Comment: v3: To be published in Phys. Rev. E v2: Attempt to work around turnpage bug. Replaced color Fig. 4a with grayscale 13 pages, 7 figures in 10 files, REVTeX 4, SIunits.sty, follows cond-mat/030817

Linear and nonlinear modulus surfaces in stress space, from stress-strain measurements on Berea sandstone

International audienceThe elastic response of many rocks to quasistatic stress changes is highly nonlinear and hysteretic, displaying discrete memory. Rocks also display unusual nonlinear response to dynamic stress changes. A model to describe the elastic behavior of rocks and other consolidated materials is called the Preisach-Mayergoyz (PM) space model. In contrast to the traditional analytic approach to stress-strain, the PM space picture establishes a relationship between the quasistatic data and a number density of hysteretic mesoscopic elastic elements in the rock. The number density allows us to make quantitative predictions of dynamic elastic properties. Using the PM space model, we analyze a complex suite of quasistatic stress-strain data taken on Berea sandstone. We predict a dynamic bulk modulus and a dynamic shear modulus surface as a function of mean stress and shear stress. Our predictions for the dynamic moduli compare favorably to moduli derived from time of flight measurements. We derive a set of nonlinear elastic constants and a set of constants that describe the hysteretic behavior of the sandstone

Phase field modeling of electrochemistry I: Equilibrium

A diffuse interface (phase field) model for an electrochemical system is developed. We describe the minimal set of components needed to model an electrochemical interface and present a variational derivation of the governing equations. With a simple set of assumptions: mass and volume constraints, Poisson's equation, ideal solution thermodynamics in the bulk, and a simple description of the competing energies in the interface, the model captures the charge separation associated with the equilibrium double layer at the electrochemical interface. The decay of the electrostatic potential in the electrolyte agrees with the classical Gouy-Chapman and Debye-H\"uckel theories. We calculate the surface energy, surface charge, and differential capacitance as functions of potential and find qualitative agreement between the model and existing theories and experiments. In particular, the differential capacitance curves exhibit complex shapes with multiple extrema, as exhibited in many electrochemical systems.Comment: v3: To be published in Phys. Rev. E v2: Added link to cond-mat/0308179 in References 13 pages, 6 figures in 15 files, REVTeX 4, SIUnits.sty. Precedes cond-mat/030817

Epitaxial growth in dislocation-free strained alloy films: Morphological and compositional instabilities

The mechanisms of stability or instability in the strained alloy film growth are of intense current interest to both theorists and experimentalists. We consider dislocation-free, coherent, growing alloy films which could exhibit a morphological instability without nucleation. We investigate such strained films by developing a nonequilibrium, continuum model and by performing a linear stability analysis. The couplings of film-substrate misfit strain, compositional stress, deposition rate, and growth temperature determine the stability of film morphology as well as the surface spinodal decomposition. We consider some realistic factors of epitaxial growth, in particular the composition dependence of elastic moduli and the coupling between top surface and underlying bulk of the film. The interplay of these factors leads to new stability results. In addition to the stability diagrams both above and below the coherent spinodal temperature, we also calculate the kinetic critical thickness for the onset of instability as well as its scaling behavior with respect to misfit strain and deposition rate. We apply our results to some real growth systems and discuss the implications related to some recent experimental observations.Comment: 26 pages, 13 eps figure

Resonant steps and spatiotemporal dynamics in the damped dc-driven Frenkel-Kontorova chain

Kink dynamics of the damped Frenkel-Kontorova (discrete sine-Gordon) chain driven by a constant external force are investigated. Resonant steplike transitions of the average velocity occur due to the competitions between the moving kinks and their radiated phasonlike modes. A mean-field consideration is introduced to give a precise prediction of the resonant steps. Slip-stick motion and spatiotemporal dynamics on those resonant steps are discussed. Our results can be applied to studies of the fluxon dynamics of 1D Josephson-junction arrays and ladders, dislocations, tribology and other fields.Comment: 20 Plain Latex pages, 10 Eps figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.