Past exam of the MPhil in micro- and nanotechnology enterprise course of the University of Cambridge / 2022 / Paper 1 / Section B / 9 / ii

X is an aluminium-doped $p^{+}$ back surface field region. Annealing alloys the rear aluminium with silicon; on cooling, silicon regrowth adjacent to the contact incorporates aluminium as an acceptor. This creates a more heavily p-type region between the p-type base and rear metal contact.

The resulting $p/p^{+}$ doping gradient creates a field that reduces the minority-electron population near the recombination-active rear metal interface. It therefore reduces rear-surface recombination and improves collection of photogenerated carriers. Heavy doping also helps form a low-resistance majority-carrier contact. This is a rear isotype doping transition, not the front n–p junction and not an electrically insulating blocking layer.