Determination of the surface recombination velocity and of its evolution in monocrystalline silicon by the light beam induced current technique in planar configuration

Using the Light Beam Induced Current (LBIC) technique in planar configuration, we studied the electrical stability of silicon surfaces after chemical etching. On the basis of the theory developed by J. Boersma et al. we analyzed the photocurrent data collected at different times after a chemical etching. We demonstrated the elevated sensitivity of the technique to surface property evolution and we correlated the kinetics of the surface recombination with that of the oxide growth.