Experimental setup for carrier lifetime measurement based on photoluminescence response. Design, construction and calibration

Abstract

The measurement of the effective carrier lifetime in silicon has a great importance for material characterization in the photovoltaic field since carrier lifetime represents a fundamental quality factor in solar cell production. Photoluminescence is a technique that allows lifetime measurement at low injection level not affected by the measurement artifacts (minority carrier trapping and the depletion-region modulation) typically found in other techniques. We have designed and constructed a device to calibrate and measure the photoluminescence response of silicon solar cells. Then we have applied the quasisteady- state photoluminescence technique (QSS-PL) to obtain the minority carrier lifetime curve. The objective is to extend the available measurement range to obtain additional information about surface recombination.