TY - GEN A1 - Herold, Steven A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - Measurement of the temperature dependence of lattice deformations in silicon using Raman microscopy T2 - Journal of Applied Physics N2 - The effect of heating and cooling in the range of 25–900 °C on the lattice deformations of diamond wire-sawn polycrystalline and scratched monocrystalline silicon surfaces was studied in detail using Raman microscopy. Mechanically treated silicon surfaces contain tensile or compressive strained silicon with varying deformation strength and areas with high-pressure silicon phases and amorphous silicon. It is shown that compressive deformed silicon relaxes after heating the sample to 600 °C, while tensile deformed silicon only relaxes after multiple heating and cooling cycles. Raman measurements during the heating and after the cooling phases reveal the individual thermal expansion and relaxation behavior of the deformed silicon states. Compressive deformed silicon relaxes during the heating phase, while tensile deformed silicon relaxes during the cooling phase. It is, therefore, possible to separately relax certain deformation states using thermal annealing without changing the topography of the surface. KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - mechanical stress KW - silicon KW - crystallization KW - relaxation KW - thermal treatment KW - solar cell Y1 - 2019 UR - https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.5090476 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5090476 SN - 1089-7550 VL - 126 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Herold, Steven A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Zschech, Ehrenfried T1 - Analysis of the strain dependent acidic etch rate on diamond wire sawn silicon wafer T2 - 7th Dresden Nanoanalysis Symposium : “Nano-scale characterization for cutting-edge materials research and sustainable materials development”, Abstract booklet N2 - Processing of silicon in microelectronics, photovoltaics and micromechanics includes thermal and mechanical processing that can lead to a change in the silicon lattice, such as phase transitions or lattice deformations which have a crucial impact on the mechanical properties and the chemical resistance of silicon. In this work the correlation between lattice deformations and the etching of silicon using a HF/HNO3 solution is investigated. Here we use Raman microscopy to quantify and qualify strain on mechanically treated silicon, as well as confocal microscopy to measure the topography and to calculate the local etch rate. Additionally, a thermal treatment is used to selectively relax strained silicon for better understanding the effect of a selective kind of strain on the etching mechanism. Our results show that only in tensile strained areas, with a deformation strength of at least 2 cm-1, small cracks are formed within the first 10 seconds of etching. After all strained silicon is etched away the etch process mainly depends on the resulting surface texture. The enhanced oxidation rate of tensile strained silicon by nitric acid is also shown exemplary by the surface modification using nitric acid and trichloro(octyl)silane. Y1 - 2019 UR - https://www.nanoanalytik.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/nanoanalytik/de/documents/7th_Dresden_Nanoanalysis_Symposium_abstracts.pdf SP - 46 PB - Fraunhofer IKTS Dresden CY - Dresden ER - TY - GEN A1 - Meinel, Birgit A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Preis, Pirmin A1 - Wefringhaus, Eckard A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - A two-step acidic texturization procedure for the manufacture of lowreflective multi-crystalline silicon solar wafer T2 - Solar Energy N2 - Texturization of multi-crystalline silicon wafers for photovoltaic application comprises the removal of the saw damage and shaping the topography of the bulk surface to create a surface with a low reflectivity, the so-called texture. Etching of multi-crystalline silicon wafers is usually carried out with acid mixtures consisting of hydrofluoric acid (HF), nitric acid (HNO₃) and hexafluorosilicic acid (H₂SiF₆). The present study reveals that such acid mixtures diluted by water or modified by the addition of ammonia solution, NH₃ (added as ammonium hydroxide solution, NH₄OH) can create textures with a significantly increased surface area exceeding that obtained by standard etching mixtures by a factor of 2.5–3. This yields a significantly reduced reflectivity of the etched wafer surface. However, the addition of water or NH₃ causes a very low etching rate, which makes such mixtures inapplicable for industrial application. To overcome this disadvantage, a two-step etching regime was developed to produce surface-enlarged solar wafers within a timespan typical for industrial production lines. This procedure comprises a first step of slow etching with a NH₃-modified etching mixture to pre-shape the ascut wafer surface. The second etching step is performed with a typical HF/HNO₃/H₂SiF₆ etching mixture that finalizes the texturization. Electrical measurements made on solar cells produced from such etched wafer confirm the improved surface quality of the two-step etched wafer compared to the reference wafer. KW - acidic texturization KW - multi-crystalline silicon KW - reflectivity KW - solar cell parameter KW - topography KW - confocal microscopy Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2019.09.051 SN - 0038-092X VL - 193 SP - 395 EP - 402 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Rietig, Anja A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - A revised model of silicon oxidation during the dissolution of silicon in HF/HNO₃ mixtures T2 - Physical chemistry, chemical physics N2 - The stoichiometry of wet chemical etching of silicon in concentrated HF/HNO₃ mixtures was investigated. The formation of nitrogen species enriched in the etching mixture and their reactivity during the etching process was studied. The main focus of the investigations was the comprehensive quantification of the gaseous reaction products using mass spectrometry. Whereas previously it could only be speculated that nitrogen was a product, its formation was detected for the first time. The formation of hydrogen, N₂, N₂O and NH₄⁺ showed a dependence on the etching bath volume used, which indicates the formation of nitrogen compounds by side reactions. Simultaneously, the ratio of the nitrogen oxides, NO and NO₂, formed decreases with increasing etching bath volume, while nitric acid consumption increases, so that the formation of NO₂ could also be identified as a side reaction. Based on the stoichiometries obtained, a new reaction scheme for the reduction of nitric acid during etching in HF/HNO₃ mixtures and an electron balance for the oxidation of silicon is presented. KW - silicon KW - etching KW - mechanism KW - nitrogen oxide KW - hydrogen KW - mass spectrometry KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - kinetics Y1 - 2019 UR - https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/CP/C9CP04429A#!divAbstract U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9cp04429a SN - 1463-9076 VL - 21 SP - 22002 EP - 22013 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Ducke, Jana A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Vogt, Carla T1 - Rückgewinnung von Platin, Palladium und Rhodium aus Autoabgaskatalysatoren: Bestimmung der Edelmetallgehalte im Eisensammler mittels ICP-OES T2 - Colloquium Analytische Atomspektroskopie - CANAS 2019, Book of Abstracts N2 - Fahrzeugkatalysatoren enthalten wertvolle Edelmetalle wie Platin (Pt), Palladium (Pd) und Rhodium (Rh), wodurch ausgediente und funktionsunfähige Katalysatoren zu einem begehrten Recyclinggut in einem hart umkämpften Marktsegment werden. Das häufigsten Aufbereitungsverfahren für Altkatalysatoren ist ein Schmelzprozess, in dem vorzerkleinerte Katalysatorfraktionen unter definierter Zugabe von Hilfsstoffen mit Kupfer als Kollektormetall aufgeschmolzen werden. Die Edelmetalle reichern sich im flüssigen Kupfer an, während alle anderen metallischen und nichtmetallischen Bestandteile eine oxidische Schlacke bilden. Ein Recyclingunternehmen im Bundesland Brandenburg hat diesen Prozess innovativ weiterentwickelt, indem es Eisen als Sammlermetall einsetzt. Eisen ist nicht nur preisgünstiger als Kupfer, es kann unter optimalen Schmelzbedingungen bis zu 9% an Edelmetallen aufnehmen, während Kupfer eine maximale Aufnahme von nur 5% besitzt. Zur Bestimmung der Edelmetallgehalte wird in diese Branche die Kupfer-Dokimasi mit anschließender ICP-OES-Analyse angewandt, was im Falle des Eisensammlers ein Umschmelzen der Proben zur Folge hätte. Eine Methode zur präzisen Quantifizierung der Edelmetallgehalte im Eisensammler existierte bisher nicht. Im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojektes wurde deshalb ein Bestimmungsverfahren zur zuverlässigen Bestimmung von Pt, Pd und Rh in einem Bereich von 0,1% bis 5% neben einem Eisengehalt von mehr als 80% mittels ICP-OES nach einem MW-Aufschluss entwickelt, dessen Vorteil sich neben einer deutlichen Zeitersparnis auch bezüglich des Einsatzes an Probenmaterial (für den Aufschluss) und Aufschlusschemikalien zeigt. Die analytischen Herausforderungen lagen in der Probenhomogenisierung zur repräsentativen Probenahme, in der Entwicklung eines Mikrowellen-Aufschlussverfahrens und in der Entwicklung einer Methode zur Präzisionsanalytik mittels ICP-OES. Besonderes Augenmerk wurde auf die Identifizierung von spektralen und nichtspektralen Interferenzen gelegt, die durch variierende Gehalte von Nebenkomponenten der Altkatalysatoren und durch das linienreiche Emissionsspektrum der Hauptkomponente Eisen verursacht werden. Es gelang ein zuverlässiges, präzises und kosteneffizientes Quantifizierungsverfahren für diese Edelmetalle in dieser besonderen Matrix zu entwickeln. KW - ICP-OES KW - Präzisionsanalytik KW - Mikrowellenaufschluss KW - Matrixeffekte KW - Platin KW - Eisen KW - Interferenzen KW - Palladium KW - Rhodium Y1 - 2019 UR - https://tu-freiberg.de/canas SP - S3/2 PB - TU Bergakademie Freiberg CY - Freiberg ET - 1. Auflage ER - TY - GEN A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Rietig, Anja A1 - Ducke, Jana A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Vogt, Carla T1 - Direkte Feststoffanalyse von Hauptkomponenten in Kathodenmaterialien von Lithiumbatterien mittels HRCS-GF-AAS T2 - Colloquium Analytische Atomspektroskopie - CANAS 2019, Book of Abstracts N2 - Zur Bestimmung der metallischen Hauptkomponenten in Lithium-Batterie-Kathodenmaterialien ist der nasschemische Aufschluss mit anschließender ICP-OES-Analyse oft das Mittel der Wahl. Da dieses Verfahren jedoch recht zeitaufwendig ist und den Einsatz starker Säuren erfordert, wurde eine Methode zur direkten Feststoffanalyse mittels HRCS-GF-AAS (high resolution continuum source graphit furnace atom absorption spectrometry) nach dem STPF-Konzept (stabilized temperature platform furnace) entwickelt. Die hohen Analytkonzentrationen erfordern dabei die Messung auf den vergleichsweise wenig intensiven Linien Li = 323,2657 nm, Ni = 294,3912 nm, Mn = 321,6945 nm und Co= 243,5823 nm. Zusätzlich wird das Probenmaterial einer Feststoffverdünnung mit matrixverwandten Komponenten unterzogen. Die Verdünnung senkt zum einen die Konzentration und die Gefahr der Verschleppung der Analyten und begünstigt zum anderen die Freigabe des Analyten aus der Probenmatrix. Durch Aufnahme von Extinktions-Zeit-Verläufen im Temperaturbereich von 200 - 2600 °C konnten die Freisetzungstemperaturen für jeden Analyten bestimmt werden. Nach anschließenden Optimierungen der Pyrolyse- und Atomisierungstemperaturen wurde mithilfe der Einzeloxide für jeden Analyten die Linearität des Messsignals geprüft und der Arbeitsbereich festgelegt. Durch Vermessung von variierenden Oxidmischungen und Mischoxiden, sowie Zusatz möglicher weiterer Interferenten, wie dem Bindermaterial PVDF wurden Spezifität, Selektivität und Robustheit der Methode überprüft. Abschließend erfolgte anhand realer Proben (Recyclinggut aus Lithium-Batterie-Kathoden) ein Vergleich zwischen den Ergebnissen der direkten Feststoffanalyse mittels HRCS-GF-AAS und dem bereits etablierten Verfahren der ICP-OES Analyse nach nasschemischem Aufschluss. Nach umfangreicher Methodenentwicklung kann ein Verfahren der direkten Feststoffanalyse von Recylinggut aus Kathodenmaterialien von Lithium-Ionen-Batterien mittels HRCS-GF-AAS bereitgestellt werden, das eine schnelle und präzise Analyse der Hauptkomponenten Li, Ni, Mn und Co erlaubt. KW - continuum source KW - AAS KW - Feststoffanalytik KW - Feststoffstandard KW - Graphitrohr KW - Interferenz KW - NMC KW - Recycling KW - Lithium KW - Batterie Y1 - 2019 UR - https://tu-freiberg.de/en/canas/canas-2019-engl/final-program VL - 2019 SP - S1/4 PB - TU Bergakademie Freiberg CY - Freiberg ET - 1. Auflage ER - TY - GEN A1 - Acker, Jörg A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Ducke, Jana A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Rietig, Anja T1 - Degradation effects on Li(Ni0.33Mn0.33Co0.33)O2 in the recovery of lithium battery cathodes T2 - Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automobile Applications - ABAA 12, Book of Abstracts N2 - The compound Li(Ni0.33Mn0.33Co0.33)O2 (NMC) is the state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery cathode material. Due to the increasing demand NMC is of crucial economically importance for the worldwide emerging market of electromobility. Recycling of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries to recover NMC, in particular of batteries from automotive vehicles, is one future strategy to save costs and to become more independent from the supply of the essential elements Co and Mn. Several concepts for NMC recycling from lithium-ion batteries are based on wet-chemical process steps, in particular, to separate the NMC containing cathode layer from the underlying metal foil. However, NMC is very sensitive against the attack by water and reagents that are added to promote the separation process. The present study deals with the wet-chemical recycling of NMC using aqueous reagent solutions in a under varying process conditions. The recovered NMC samples are characterized in order to study the ongoing degradation at the surface of the NMC particles. In particular, two major degradation pathways are identified: (i) a preferential loss of lithium and nickel and (ii) the formation of passivation layers due to unwanted side reactions. DRIFT measurements are performed to study the NMC surface species after the recovery processes. SEM/EDX mappings are used to detect changes in the chemical composition in the surface region of the chemically treated NMC particles. Finally, a detailed study of the changes in the chemical state at the NMC particle surface is done by Raman microscopy by means of the deconvolution of the recorded spectra into their A1G component (representing the metal-oxide phonons) and into the Eg component (representing the oxide-metal-oxide phonons). As result of this study, the consequences of different wet-chemical process conditions on the quality of the recovered NMC material are discussed. KW - lithium ion battery KW - recycling KW - NMC KW - electromobility KW - degradation KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - cathode Y1 - 2019 SP - 28 PB - Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg CY - Ulm ET - 1. Auflage ER - TY - GEN A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Rietig, Anja A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - Raman spectroscopic determination of the degree of dissociation of nitric acid in binary and ternary mixtures with HF and H2SiF6 T2 - Journal of Raman Spectroscopy N2 - The oxidizing effect of nitric acid in aqueous solutions depends on the concentration of undissociated nitric acid. This makes the concentration of undissociated nitric acid an essential parameter to monitor and control the quality of silicon etching in the industrial manufacturing of solar cells. In the present study, a method known already is extended in such a way that the degree of dissociation of nitric acid can be determined by Raman spectroscopy in HF/HNO3/H2SiF6 acid mixtures over a broad concentration range for the first time and without using an internal or external standard to compensate the typical time‐dependent drift of a Raman spectrometer. The method developed requires the calculation of a peak area ratio from the areas of the unimpeded Raman signals assigned to nitrate (νN − O) at 1,048 cm−1 and to undissociated HNO3 (νN − OH) at 957 cm−1. The correlation between the peak ratio and the degree of dissociation of nitric acid revealed can be described by a simple empirical equation. Using this equation, the degree of dissociation of nitric acid can be determined over a broad concentration range in binary and ternary mixtures of HNO3 with HF and H2SiF6. The impact of the acids HF and H2SiF6 and the total water content in the degree of dissociation of nitric acid is discussed. KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - nitric acid KW - dissociation KW - hexafluosilicic acid KW - hydrofluoric acid KW - silicon KW - etching Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.5769 VL - 51 IS - 2 SP - 366 EP - 372 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Rietig, Anja A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Andresen, Birger ED - Rong, Harry ED - Tangstad, Merete ED - Tveit, Halvard ED - Page, Ingrid T1 - Advanced insights into the stoichiometry and kinetics of the reaction of silicon in HF/HNO3 and HF/HNO3/H2SiF6 mixtures T2 - Silicon for the Chemical and Solar Industry XV N2 - The stoichiometry and kinetics of wet chemical etching of silicon in HF/HNO3 and HF/HNO3/H2SiF6 mixtures was investigated. The side reactions and main reaction pathways were identified by quantifying all reaction products. The relationship between the concentration of undissociated HNO3 and the consumption of HNO3, as well as the formation of H2 as a function of the mixing ratios were found by varying the etching mixture composition systematically. Based on the etching rates determined, kinetic models for the reaction- and diffusion-controlled reaction mechanism are presented as well as the interrelation between the etchant composition and the transition between reaction- and diffusion-controlled etching. KW - silicon KW - etching KW - Raman KW - etch rate KW - mass spectrometry KW - hydrogen KW - nitrous gases Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-82-997357-9-7 SP - 145 EP - 159 PB - The Norwegian University of Science and Technology CY - Trondheim ER - TY - GEN A1 - Meißner, André A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Andresen, Birger ED - Rong, Harry ED - Tangstad, Merete ED - Tveit, Halvard ED - Page, Ingrid T1 - Lattice strain and phase transformations in silicon introduced by the precipitation of Cu3Si T2 - Silicon for the Chemical and Solar Industry XV N2 - The reaction of Si with CuCl was studied by a combination of Raman microscopy, confocal microscopy and SEM-EDX. Two reaction pathways were observed to proceed at the same time. The first one is a solid state reaction between Si and Cu or CuCl that leads to a massive nucleation of Cu3Si exactly at the interfacial contacts between CuCl and Si. This study shows how the presence of the Cu3Si phase can be clearly identified and distinguished from areas simply covered with copper by means of Raman microscopic measurements. The second reaction pathway identified proceeds via a short-range gas phase transport of CuCl at low temperatures. The immediate reaction of the transported CuCl to the Si surface causes the massive spread of Cu in the close neighborhood around the CuCl source particles, however, without a nucleation of Cu3Si. The nucleation of Cu3Si precipitates and the short-range transport of CuCl have a tremendous impact on the underlying Si matrix. Tensile- and compressive-strained Si are generated in the immediate vicinity of the precipitates and at their interface to the surrounding silicon. Indications of high-pressure modifications of Si were found. Those areas of the Si surface which are affected by the short-range transport of CuCl and covered with low concentrations of copper exhibit a significant tensile strain. As recently shown, tensile and compressive strain in Si have a significant impact on the reactivity of Si. It might be assumed that Cu3Si-induced lattice strain in Si affects the reactivity of Si in the Direct Reactions in a similar matter. KW - silicon KW - direct synthesis KW - copper silicide KW - cuprous chloride KW - Raman KW - lattice strain KW - reactivity Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-82-997357-9-7 SP - 47 EP - 56 PB - The Norwegian University of Science and Technology CY - Trondheim ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schönekerl, Stefan A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - The Kinetics and Stoichiometry of Metal Cation Reduction on Multi-Crystalline Silicon in a Dilute Hydrofluoric Acid Matrix T2 - Nanomaterials N2 - In this study, the process of metal cation reduction on multi-crystalline silicon in a dilute hydrofluoric acid (HF) matrix is described using Ag(I), Cu(II), Au(III) and Pt(IV). The experimental basis utilized batch tests with various solutions of different metal cation and HF concentrations and multi-crystalline silicon wafers. The metal deposition kinetics and the stoichiometry of metal deposition and silicon dissolution were calculated by means of consecutive sampling and analysis of the solutions. Several reaction mechanisms and reaction steps of the process were discussed by overlaying the results with theoretical considerations. It was deduced that the metal deposition was fastest if the holes formed during metal ion reduction could be transferred to the valence bands of the bulk and surface silicon with hydrogen termination. By contrast, the kinetics were lowest when the redox levels of the metal ion/metal half-cells were weak and the equilibrium potential of the H3O+/H2 half-cells was high. Further minima were identified at the thresholds where H3O+ reduction was inhibited, the valence transfer via valence band mechanism was limited by a Schottky barrier and the dissolution of oxidized silicon was restricted by the activity of the HF species F−, HF2− and H2F3−. The findings of the stoichiometric conditions provided further indications of the involvement of H3O+ and H2O as oxidizing agents in addition to metal ions, and the hydrogen of the surface silicon termination as a reducing agent in addition to the silicon. The H3O+ reduction is the predominant process in dilute metal ion solutions unless it is disabled due to the metal-dependent equilibrium potential of the H3O+/H2 half-cell and the energetic level of the valence bands of the silicon. As silicon is not oxidized up to the oxidation state +IV by the reduction of the metal ions and H3O+, water is suspected of acting as a secondary oxidant. The stoichiometric ratios increased up to a maximum with higher molalities of the metal ions, in the manner of a sigmoidal function. If, owing to the redox level of the metal half-cells and the energetic level of the valence band at the metal–silicon contact, the surface silicon can be oxidized, the hydrogen of the termination is the further reducing agent. KW - silicon KW - etching KW - metal-assisted etching KW - kinetics KW - hydrofluoric acid KW - dissolution Y1 - 2020 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/12/2545 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10122545 SN - 1747-681X VL - 10 IS - 12 ER -