Low-cost system for micrometer-resolution solar cell characterization by light beam-induced current mapping

H. COSSUTTA; K. TARETTO; M. TROVIANO

MEASUREMENT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (PRINT)

IOP PUBLISHING LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2014 vol. 25 p. 105801 - 105808

0957-0233

Light-beam induced current (LBIC) mapping is an increasingly utilized characterizationtechnique for laboratory-scale as well as industrial-scale solar cells, which measures the localsolar cell photocurrent by point illumination. This contribution demonstrates the design andtesting of an LBIC mapping device capable of measuring LBIC maps of solar cells usinginexpensive materials. With a spatial resolution of 4 μm and an auto-focused beam spot sizeof about 2 μm, obtained from a standard CD/DVD pickup, high-resolution LBIC maps ofthin-film solar cells are obtained. The system was demonstrated by measuring LBIC maps onthin-film solar cells, revealing significant, micrometer-sized photocurrent heterogeneities thatare otherwise unseen when using typical commercial LBIC systems with lower resolution.