Separating grain-boundary and bulk recombination with time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy
Abstract
Two-photon excitation (2PE) microscopy allows contactless and non-destructive cross-sectional analysis of grain-boundary (GB) and grain-interior (GI) properties in polycrystalline solar cells, with measurements of doping uniformity, space-charge field distribution, and carrier dynamics in different regions of the device. Using 2PE time-resolved microscopy, we analyzed charge-carrier lifetimes near the GBs and in the GI of polycrystalline thin-film CdTe solar cells doped with As. When the grain radius is larger than the minority-carrier diffusion length, GI lifetimes are interpreted as the bulk lifetimes ..tau..B, and GB recombination velocity SGB is extracted by comparing recombination rates in the GI and near GBs. In As-doped CdTe solar cells, we find ..tau..B = 1.0-2.4 ns and SGB = (1-4) x 105 cm/s. The results imply the potential to improve solar cell voltage via GB passivation and reduced recombination center concentration in the GI.
- Authors:
-
[1];
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- First Solar, Santa Clara, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1413180
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1411285
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5900-70418
Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951; TRN: US1800417
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308; AC36-08-GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 111; Journal Issue: 23; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; microscopy; crystal defects; semiconductors; doping; polycrystals
Citation Formats
Kuciauskas, Darius, Lu, Dingyuan, Grover, Sachit, Xiong, Gang, and Gloeckler, Markus. Separating grain-boundary and bulk recombination with time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.5010931.
Kuciauskas, Darius, Lu, Dingyuan, Grover, Sachit, Xiong, Gang, & Gloeckler, Markus. Separating grain-boundary and bulk recombination with time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5010931
Kuciauskas, Darius, Lu, Dingyuan, Grover, Sachit, Xiong, Gang, and Gloeckler, Markus. Mon .
"Separating grain-boundary and bulk recombination with time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5010931. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1413180.
@article{osti_1413180,
title = {Separating grain-boundary and bulk recombination with time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy},
author = {Kuciauskas, Darius and Lu, Dingyuan and Grover, Sachit and Xiong, Gang and Gloeckler, Markus},
abstractNote = {Two-photon excitation (2PE) microscopy allows contactless and non-destructive cross-sectional analysis of grain-boundary (GB) and grain-interior (GI) properties in polycrystalline solar cells, with measurements of doping uniformity, space-charge field distribution, and carrier dynamics in different regions of the device. Using 2PE time-resolved microscopy, we analyzed charge-carrier lifetimes near the GBs and in the GI of polycrystalline thin-film CdTe solar cells doped with As. When the grain radius is larger than the minority-carrier diffusion length, GI lifetimes are interpreted as the bulk lifetimes ..tau..B, and GB recombination velocity SGB is extracted by comparing recombination rates in the GI and near GBs. In As-doped CdTe solar cells, we find ..tau..B = 1.0-2.4 ns and SGB = (1-4) x 105 cm/s. The results imply the potential to improve solar cell voltage via GB passivation and reduced recombination center concentration in the GI.},
doi = {10.1063/1.5010931},
journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
number = 23,
volume = 111,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 04 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Mon Dec 04 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Luminescence methodology to determine grain-boundary, grain-interior, and surface recombination in thin-film solar cells
journal, September 2018
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Recombination and bandgap engineering in CdSeTe/CdTe solar cells
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