Sinton Minority Carrier Lifetime Testers
Affordable Minority-Carrier Lifetime Testing for Research, Design Optimization, and Process Control
There are over 100 Sinton lifetime testers in the field. The testers are continually being updated and are configured for each application. Three lifetime systems cover the full range of lifetime measurement. From laboratory analysis to industrial scale systems for inline measurements on production lines.
System 1: WCT-120 Silicon-Wafer Lifetime Tester 
By using transient and quasi-steady-state analysis the WCT-100 lifetime measurment system can be used for both high (several millisecond) and low (few microsecond) lifetime material.
Applications
Monitoring of initial material quality.
Detecting heavy-metals contamination during wafer processing
Evaluating surface passivations and emitter dopant diffusions
Step by step monitoring and optimization of fabrication processes.
Providing a contactless, implied I-V curve at any stage of a solar-cell
fabrication proces
Key Features
Contactless, calibrated minority-carrier lifetime vs. injection level
measurement on silicon wafers
Wide range of measurement capability, from 10 ns to greater than 10 ms.
Suitable for single- or multi-crystalline wafers
Accurate prediction of final solar-cell voltages
Wide range of conductivity measurement, undoped to 1 Siemens (typically
0.03 Ohm-cm)
Fast, simple measurement, up to 30 wafers per minute.
User interface guides novice to obtain the same results as an expert (see
below).
Analysis result displayed as the lifetime vs. the minority-carrier density. By obtaining calibrated carrier densities, detailed interpretations can be applied with precision.
Photoconductance data can be displayed as "implied voltage", the voltage corresponding to the carrier density at each illumination level. This contactless "IV curve" is available at any step in the fabrication process and can track the material and surface passivation quality with the same relevant measures that will be used on the final solar cell.
Upgrades for older testers
New AC power supply for users of Quantum X2 flash now available. Replaces battery, PAC, & PR3 modules to provide a lead-free solution for improved reliability!
Advantages of the new card based system over previous models using an oscilloscope
System 2: BCT-210 Boule Tester for Single or
Multicrystalline Silicon
Winner 2005 R&D 100 Award. "The Oscars
of Invention"
Growing high-quality CZ or FZ silicon? Our newest handheld instrument is the one multipurpose tool you need. With our detailed physical analysis, you can measure bulk lifetime and resistivity in your industrial material without surface preparation. We provide a conformal cradle for the instrument to measure a typical rounded surface as well as a flat cut.
Applications
Monitoring of minority-carrier lifetime in as-grown or shaped boules or
blocks of FZ, CZ, or Multicrystalline silicon without any sample preparation
Detecting heavy-metals contamination
Evaluating Boron:Oxygen defects
Evaluating dislocations & crystalline quality
Monitoring resistivity vs. position
Key Features:
Contactless, calibrated minority-carrier lifetime vs. injection level
measurement on silicon wafers
Wide range of measurement capability, from 100 ns to greater than 10 ms.
Suitable for CZ, FZ, or multicrystalline blocks.
Measures lifetime in lightly-to-heavily-doped silicon
The analysis is based upon widely published analysis, allowing the direct
application of published results from laboratories worldwide to the characterization
of as-grown silicon.
Sensing is 3 mm into the silicon, permitting high sensitivity to the bulk
lifetime even with no surface preparation.
Can be used for measuring wafers as well as blocks.
Technical support from Sinton Consulting, with over 20 years experience
in silicon lifetime measurement.
System 3: WCT-IL800 Inline wafer measurements
High-throughput, high-speed
Applications
Monitoring of initial material quality.
Detecting heavy-metals contamination during wafer processing
Evaluating surface passivations and emitter dopant diffusions
Step by step monitoring and optimization of
fabrication processes, including measurements of wafer lifetime and trapping
for incoming wafers, wafers after phosphorus diffusion, and wafers after
PECVD nitride in a solar cell production facility.
Wafer conductance measurement
Key Features
Contactless,
calibrated minority-carrier lifetime vs. injection level measurement on
silicon wafers.
Suitable for single- or multi-crystalline wafers.
Detailed application notes for use of the instrument at each stage in
the solar-cell production process.
Fast, simple measurement of up to 60 wafers per minute including logging
results to a database.
12-bit data acquisition.
Robust analysis and measurements for unattended, automated operation within
a production line.