Abstract
A new method for determining the base-region minority-carrier lifetime for p/ n junction diodes or solar cells is presented, which applies provided low-level injection prevails and provided the thickness of the base greatly exceeds that of the emitter. The method uses the traditional open-circuit-voltage-decay measurement. As is customary, the interpretation of the measured response relies on a quasi-static model for the quasi-neutral base region. But the model also includes the capacitive effect of the free electrons and holes stored in the junction space-charge region for the forward-voltage condition intrinsic to open-circuit-voltage decay. Application of the method to solar cells yields values of the minority-carrier lifetime that agree well with those obtained using other techniques. The method requires a numerical procedure, the details of which are described. This method has a potential advantage for monitoring the influence on lifetime of various processing steps in device fabrication.
Published Version
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