Luminescence emission from forward- and reverse-biased multicrystalline silicon solar cells

authored by: K. Bothe, K. Ramspeck, D. Hinken, C. Schinke, J. Schmidt, S. Herlufsen, R. Brendel, J. Bauer, J. M. Wagner, N. Zakharov, O. Breitenstein
Abstract: We study the emission of light from industrial multicrystalline silicon solar cells under forward and reverse biases. Camera-based luminescence imaging techniques and dark lock-in thermography are used to gain information about the spatial distribution and the energy dissipation at pre-breakdown sites frequently found in multicrystalline silicon solar cells. The pre-breakdown occurs at specific sites and is associated with an increase in temperature and the emission of visible light under reverse bias. Moreover, additional light emission is found in some regions in the subband-gap range between 1400 and 1700 nm under forward bias. Investigations of multicrystalline silicon solar cells with different interstitial oxygen concentrations and with an electron microscopic analysis suggest that the local light emission in these areas is directly related to clusters of oxygen.
External Organisation(s): Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH)
Schott AG
Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Type: Article
Journal: Journal of applied physics
Volume: 106
ISSN: 0021-8979
Publication date: 2009
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General Physics and Astronomy
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3256199 (Access: Closed)
https://www.repo.uni-hannover.de/handle/123456789/2571 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{a6062a1f2d864ffd8cc4dce4b0eda694,
title = "Luminescence emission from forward- and reverse-biased multicrystalline silicon solar cells",
abstract = "We study the emission of light from industrial multicrystalline silicon solar cells under forward and reverse biases. Camera-based luminescence imaging techniques and dark lock-in thermography are used to gain information about the spatial distribution and the energy dissipation at pre-breakdown sites frequently found in multicrystalline silicon solar cells. The pre-breakdown occurs at specific sites and is associated with an increase in temperature and the emission of visible light under reverse bias. Moreover, additional light emission is found in some regions in the subband-gap range between 1400 and 1700 nm under forward bias. Investigations of multicrystalline silicon solar cells with different interstitial oxygen concentrations and with an electron microscopic analysis suggest that the local light emission in these areas is directly related to clusters of oxygen.",
author = "K. Bothe and K. Ramspeck and D. Hinken and C. Schinke and J. Schmidt and S. Herlufsen and R. Brendel and J. Bauer and Wagner, {J. M.} and N. Zakharov and O. Breitenstein",
year = "2009",
doi = "10.1063/1.3256199",
language = "English",
volume = "106",
journal = "Journal of applied physics",
issn = "0021-8979",
publisher = "American Institute of Physics",
number = "10",
}