Unifying view of transient responses for determining lifetime and surface recombination velocity in silicon diodes and back-surface-field solar cells, with application to experimental short-circuit-current decay

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984 · IEEE Trans. Electron Devices; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/T-ED.1984.21573· OSTI ID:6415430

Jung, T W; Lindholm, F A

Two main results are presented. The first deals with a simple method that determines the minority-carrier lifetime and the effective surface recombination velocity of the quasi-neutral base of silicon solar cells. The method requires the observation of only a single transient, and is amenable to automation for in-process monitoring in manufacturing. Distinct from many other methods in use, this method, which is called short-circuit current decay, avoids distortion in the observed transient and consequent inaccuracies that arise from the presence of mobile holes and electrons stored in the p-n junction spacecharge region at the initial instant of the transient. The second main result consists in a formulation of the relevant boundary-value problems that resembles that used in linear two-port network theory. This formulation enables comparisons to be made among various contending methods for measuring material parameters of p-n junction devices, and enables the option of putting the description in the time domain in the form of an infinite series, although closedform solutions are also possible. The advantage of an infinite-series formulation is the possibility of identifying dominant relaxation times of the transient, leading thereby to simplified descriptions. By outlining the derivation of open-circuit-voltage decay and junction-current recovery from this two-port formulation, we systematically compare these methods with the short-circuit-current decay method that is emphasized here. Small-signal admittance measurement methods also emerge as special cases of the two-port formulation, as is discussed briefly.

• Research Organization: Department of Electrical Engineering, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• OSTI ID: 6415430
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Electron Devices; (United States), Vol. ED-31:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
CARRIER LIFETIME
RECOMBINATION
RESPONSE FUNCTIONS
BACK CONTACT SOLAR CELLS
BOUNDARY-VALUE PROBLEMS
CHARGE CARRIERS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRICAL FAULTS
MEASURING METHODS
P-N JUNCTIONS
PHOTOCURRENTS
RADIATIVE DECAY
RELAXATION TIME
TRANSIENTS
CURRENTS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
EQUIPMENT
FUNCTIONS
JUNCTIONS
LIFETIME
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion