Title :
Microwave reflections for carrier lifetime measurements: a comprehensive study on sensitivity and transient response
Author :
Schöfthaler, Martin ; Brendel, Rolf
Author_Institution :
Max-Planck-Inst. fur Festkorperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
Abstract :
The time-resolved microwave reflection technique is widely used for process control in the photovoltaic community. We demonstrate how to optimize the sensitivity and the reliability of carrier lifetime measurements with this method. Our approach is based on a dielectric multilayer model that allows us to calculate microwave reflection transients from excess carrier decay after pulsed laser excitation. We find that the reflected microwave power mirrors the carrier decay only if the reflector is positioned appropriately
Keywords :
carrier lifetime; electric variables measurement; high-frequency effects; microwave reflectometry; minority carriers; semiconductors; sensitivity; solar cells; transient analysis; transient response; carrier decay; carrier lifetime measurements; dielectric multilayer model; microwave reflection transients; minority carriers; photovoltaic community; process control; pulsed laser excitation; sensitivity; solar cells; time-resolved technique; transient response; Charge carrier lifetime; Dielectric measurements; Microwave measurements; Microwave theory and techniques; Nonhomogeneous media; Optical reflection; Optimization methods; Photovoltaic systems; Process control; Solar power generation;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1994., Conference Record of the Twenty Fourth. IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1994, 1994 IEEE First World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Waikoloa, HI
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1460-3
DOI :
10.1109/WCPEC.1994.520536
