Cost-effective LBIC system for solar cell characterization

Defects in solar cells such as localized shunts greatly reduce the efficiency of the device by diverting current away from the output. Laser beam induced current (LBIC) technique is a non-destructive characterization tool to identify the spatial distribution of defects by measuring the generated current of the cells. This technique determines the defects by scanning a laser beam onto the cell while measuring the generated current as a function of position. This contribution presents the development of a cost-effective LBIC system using three wavelengths: 650 nm, 532 nm, and 450nm. LBIC resolution is optimized by varying the spot size of the light source and the step size of the machine. LBIC maps generated from different laser wavelengths show variations in image quality and details.