High-quality surface passivation by corona-charged oxides for semiconductor surface characterization

A new surface passivation method using corona-charged oxides is discussed and applied to effective lifetime measurements by microwave-detected photoconductivity decay. Three lifetime measurements are required for evaluating surface recombination velocities and semiconductor bulk lifetimes in monocrystalline silicon wafers. Surface recombination velocities lower than 1 cm/s are achieved with corona passivation.