Title :
Mapping the Local Photoelectronic Properties of Polycrystalline Solar Cells Through High Resolution Laser-Beam-Induced Current Microscopy
Author :
Leite, Marina S. ; Abashin, Maxim ; Lezec, Henri J. ; Gianfrancesco, Anthony G. ; Talin, A. Alec ; Zhitenev, Nikolai B.
Author_Institution :
Center for Nanoscale Sci. & Technol., Nat. Inst. of Stand. & Technol., Gaithersburg, MD, USA
Abstract :
To boost the efficiency of thin-film polycrystalline solar cells that are microscopically inhomogeneous, it is imperative to understand how the grain interiors (GIs) and grain boundaries (GBs) within these materials affect its overall electronic properties. By using an apertured near-field scanning optical microscope in an illumination mode, we determined the local photocurrent that is generated within the GIs and at the GBs with nanoscale resolution and correlate the results with surface morphology and composition.
Keywords :
OBIC; grain boundaries; scanning probe microscopy; solar cells; surface morphology; thin films; apertured near-field scanning optical microscope; grain boundaries; grain interiors; illumination mode; laser beam induced current microscopy; local photocurrent; local photoelectronic properties; nanoscale resolution; surface morphology; thin film polycrystalline solar cells; Current measurement; Microscopy; Photoconductivity; Photovoltaic cells; Probes; Surface topography; Cadmium compounds; current measurement; grain boundaries (GBs); photovoltaic (PV) cells; scanning probe microscopy; thin-film devices; wavelength measurement;
Journal_Title :
Photovoltaics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JPHOTOV.2013.2284860
