Statistical Evaluation of a Luminescence-Based Method for Imaging the Series Resistance of Solar Cells

Abstract

In the last years photoluminescence (PL) imaging has become a standard characterization method for conventional silicon solar cells and wafers providing spatially resolved information for material characterization and process control. In this work, the method of the coupled determination of dark saturation current and series resistance (C-DCR) is evaluated on conventional silicon solar cells in terms of its accuracy, reliability and informative value based on a large number of conventional multicrystalline silicon solar cells. The statistical evaluation is based on a comparison of the series resistance mean values obtained from the C-DCR method with the global values obtained from the IV-characteristics within the standard cell testing. Furthermore, examples for its application are given and demonstrate that the minimum exposure time needed for the C-DCR method is short enough to allow an inline application of the method.