Characterization

To determine the physical and electrical properties of PV-silicon materials, we have a wide range of equipment and methods for characterization. These methods are primarily used to understand and verify the results from the tests done in the crystallization laboratories In order to facilitate characterization of silicon ingots and wafers, we also have an etching and preparation laboratory (link til siden for labben).
 characterization_collage

We have equipment and expertise on: (link til siden for labben):

  • Sinton Consulting WCT-100 - Life time of minority charge carriers by Quasi Steady State - Photo Conductance (QSSPC)
    - Unit built for measurement of life times directly on unpassivated silicon blocks
  • Jandel Scientific - 4-point electrical resistivity measurement
  • PVScan 6000 - Unique equipment for advanced optical characterization of silicon wafers
    - Mapping of dislocation density
    - Light Beam Induced Current (LBIC) mapping of solar cell efficiency
    - Reflectivity mapping
  • Hitachi FEGSEM and FEGTEM (Field Emission Gun Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscopy) – High resolution electron microscopy
    - Determination of crystal orientation in silicon grains
    - Visualisation and analysis of defects and inclusions
  • Thermo Element II GDMS (Glow Discharge Mass Spectroscopy) Elemental impurity analysis in solid samples
    - For detection of trace elements in Si and other materials
    - Detection limit in the ppb range
  • Thermo Nicolet 6700 FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared) Spectrometer for quantifying of interstitial oxygen and substitutional carbon
  • CDI (Carrier Density Imaging)- Spatially resolved lifetime measurement based on emission of infrared light from free carriers
chara_closeup characterization
Photos: Melinda Gaal

Contact Person: Helen Langeng

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Published December 15, 2008

 

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