Quantitative Carrier Density Wave Imaging in Silicon Solar Cells Using Photocarrier Radiometry and Lock-in Carrierography

InGaAs camera-based low-frequency homodyne and high-frequency heterodyne lock-in carrierographies (LIC) are introduced for spatially resolved imaging of optoelectronic properties of Si solar cells. Based on the full theory of solar cell photocarrier radiometry (PCR), several simplification steps were performed aiming at the open circuit case, and a concise expression of the base minority carrier density depth profile was obtained. The model shows that solar cell PCR/LIC signals are mainly sensitive to the base minority carrier lifetime. Both homodyne and heterodyne frequency response data at selected locations on a mc-Si solar cell were used to extract the local base minority carrier lifetimes by best fitting local experimental data to theory.