Dark I-V Characteristics and Lock-in Thermography (LIT) Techniques as a Diagnostic Tools for Silicon Solar Cell After 4000 hours of Thermal Stress at 400K

In this paper, a highly sensitive lock-in thermography system has been used; enabling the detection of periodic surface temperature oscillations below 10 μK (r.m.s) has been obtained. Spatially resolved power loss images obtained byLock-In Thermography (LIT) for a single crystalline silicon solar cell carried out. A significant difference is shown forthe solar cell with shunts, while series resistance and chargecarrier recombination cause only minor differences in the images. This system has been used to investigate edge leakage shunts currents in silicon solar cells of the construction n+pp++ PESC Passivatted Emitter Solar Cell (silicon wafers doped with Boron) after 4000 hrs of thermal stress at 400 K. The dark I-V characteristics of the solar cell, as a diagnostic too, are studied and analysed. A decrease of the electrical parameters of the solar cell has been obtained after thermal stress.

Keywords:

Shunts defects, lock-in-thermography dark I-V characteristics and silicon solar cells.,

PDF

___

G. Busse, D. Wu, W. Karpen, Thermal wave imaging with phase sensitive modulated thermography, J. Appl. Phys. 71 (1992) 3962-3965.
O. Breitenstein, M. Langenkamp, Lock-in contact thermography inhomogeneities in semiconductor devices, Sensors and Actuators A 71 (1998) 46-50. of lateral electronic
O. Breitenstein , J. Heydenreich, Non-ideal I-V- characteristics of block-cast silicon solar cells, Solid State Phenomena, Vols. 37-38 (1994)139-144.
O. Breitenstein, W. Warta, and M. Langenkamp, Lock-in thermography: Basics and use for evaluating electronic devices and materials, 1th ed., Springer; Augest 2003.
P. Grunow, S. Lust, D. Sauter, V. Hoffman, C. Beneking, B. Litzenburger, L. Podlowsk, "Weak light performance and annual yield of PV modules and systems as a result of the basic parameters set of industrial Solar Energy Conference 2004, Paris , 2190-2193. th European Photovoltaic
M C. Alonso Garcia, W. Herrmann, W. Bömer, B. Proisy, outdoor photovoltaic cells, Prog. Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 11 (2003) 293–307. effects caused by of testing in an associations
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH Corresponding Author et al. ,Vol. XX, No. XX M. Langenkamp, O. Breitenstein, Classification of shunting mechanisms in crystalline silicon solar cells, Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells, Vol. 72 (2002) 440.
O. Breitenstein, J. P. Rakotoniaina, M.H. Al Rifai, M. Werner, Shunts types in crystalline silicon solar cells, Applications, Vol. 12 (2004) 529-538. Photovoltaics: Research and O. Breitenstein, M. Langenkamp, O. Lang, and A.
Schirrmacher, Shunts due to laser scribing of solar cells evaluated by highly sensitive lock-in thermography, 11th International Conference (PVSEC-11), Sapporo, Japan (1999) Technical Digest, 285-286. Science and Engineering
O. Breitenstein, M. Langenkamp, Lock-in contact thermography investigation of lateral electronic th IEEE PVSC Conf. (2000)
A. Ibrahim, Z. Chobola, "Invited paper” " Effect of illumination on 1/f noise and transport characteristics of a monocrystalline silicon solar cells,' Proceedings of Seminar Noise 2000, Gdansk, Poland, 2000, p.10.