Fast and sensitive defect characterization and spectral response measurement of thin film silicon solar structures

Fourier Transform Photocurrent Spectroscopy (FTPS) has been used for a fast and sensitive quality assessment of photovoltaic thin films, such as the microcrystalline silicon. Because the properties of this material strongly depend on the substrate used, we demonstrate here how to utilize the FTPS for measurement of films grown on conductive TCO covered glass substrate, as it is the case of solar cells. Further, we have studied homogeneity of the optoelectronic properties of layers over large areas (30/spl times/30 cm/sup 2/) and for one case correlated the results with the cell efficiency over the area. Moreover, we show a possibility to interpret the FTPS data on cells as the quantum efficiency (spectral response) measurement and to extend the measuring range from near IR over the whole visible region.