Electrical Characterization of Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells

Electrical Characterization of Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells

A variety of electrical measurements are used to characterize a solar cell’s performance. For example, a variety of important device parameters can be extracted from DC and pulsed current-voltage (I V) and capacitance voltage (C V) measurements, including output current, conversion efficiency, maximum power output, doping density, resistivity, etc. This application note describes how to use Keithley’s Model 4200-SCS parameter analyzer to perform a wide range of measurements, including DC and pulsed I V, C V, capacitance-frequency (C-f), drive level capacitance profiling (DLCP), four-probe resistivity, and Hall voltage measurements to characterize PV cells.■