Title :
Non-contacting PV capacitive diagnostic (PVCD) system for real-time in-situ analysis, QA/QC, and optimization
Author_Institution :
Energy Conversion Devices Inc., Troy, MI, USA
Abstract :
ECD is developing a PV capacitive diagnostic (PVCD) system, an in-situ device that will measure PV material characteristics such as open circuit voltage (Voc), the ratio of short circuit current density to cell capacity (Jsc/C), and possibly the fill factor (FF). This noncontacting device does not require a transparent conductive oxide coating or grid on top of the PV material; consequently, it can measure the characteristics of component cells in a multi-junction device inside production equipment during fabrication. The PVCD has the potential of providing the operator with immediate recognition of production problems, and increasing the bandwidth for optimization by a couple of orders of magnitude compared with offline QA/QC. Additional potential benefits include more rapid commissioning of new production equipment, and, ultimately, allowing the operators, and eventually expert systems, to continuously optimize the PV material
Keywords :
current density; electric current measurement; p-n heterojunctions; quality control; semiconductor device manufacture; semiconductor device measurement; semiconductor device testing; short-circuit currents; solar cells; test equipment; voltage measurement; cell capacity; commissioning; fill factor; multi-junction device; noncontacting PV capacitive diagnostic system; open circuit voltage; quality assurance; real-time in-situ analysis; short circuit current density; solar cell manufacture; solar cells; Coatings; Conducting materials; Conductivity measurement; Current measurement; Density measurement; Fabrication; Production equipment; Real time systems; Short circuit currents; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2000. Conference Record of the Twenty-Eighth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anchorage, AK
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5772-8
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2000.915978
