Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

System for characterizing semiconductor materials and photovoltaic devices through calibration

Patent ·
OSTI ID:871581
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [3]
  1. Denver, CO
  2. Arvada, CO
  3. Littleton, CO
  4. Golden, CO
+ Show Author Affiliations

A method and apparatus for measuring characteristics of a piece of material, typically semiconductor materials including photovoltaic devices. The characteristics may include dislocation defect density, grain boundaries, reflectance, external LBIC, internal LBIC, and minority carrier diffusion length. The apparatus includes a light source, an integrating sphere, and a detector communicating with a computer. The measurement or calculation of the characteristics is calibrated to provide accurate, absolute values. The calibration is performed by substituting a standard sample for the piece of material, the sample having a known quantity of one or more of the relevant characteristics. The quantity measured by the system of the relevant characteristic is compared to the known quantity and a calibration constant is created thereby.

Research Organization:
Midwest Research Institute
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-83CH10093
Assignee:
Midwest Research Institute (Kansas City, MO)
Patent Number(s):
US 5757474
OSTI ID:
871581
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (2)

Use of optical scattering to characterize dislocations in semiconductors journal January 1988
A New Defect Etch for Polycrystalline Silicon journal January 1984

Similar Records

Related Subjects

/356/
absolute
absolute value
accurate
apparatus
boundaries
calculation
calibrated
calibration
carrier
carrier diffusion
characteristic
characteristics
characterizing
characterizing semiconductor
communicating
compared
computer
constant
created
defect
density
detector
devices
diffusion
diffusion length
dislocation
external
grain
grain boundaries
including
integrating
integrating sphere
internal
lbic
length
light
light source
material
materials
materials including
measured
measurement
measuring
method
minority
minority carrier
performed
photovoltaic
photovoltaic device
photovoltaic devices
piece
provide
provide accurate
quantity
reflectance
relevant
sample
semiconductor
semiconductor material
semiconductor materials
source
sphere
standard
substituting
typically
values