Stress factor assessment for microsystems-enabled photovoltaics

Microsystems-enabled photovoltaics (MEPV) utilizes microfabrication techniques to achieve various scaling advantages and attain high power density and efficiency. This paper describes accelerated test results for silicon MEPV that were used for development of a reliability model. MEPV has previously demonstrated good resilience to high reverse bias voltages. We further study this performance parameter by examining the degradation effects of prolonged reverse bias stress at voltage levels below breakdown. Light-induced degradation is examined through extended exposure to the output of a 405 nm laser diode. Samples are also subjected to moderate temperature cycling. The post-stress samples are evaluated through electrical tests and defect localization techniques. The results can be used to generate lifetime predictions and provide insights into design improvements for more reliable MEPV.