Cross sections of operating Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cells under defined white light illumination analyzed by Kelvin probe force microscopy

2013 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 023903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenhao Zhang ◽  
Michael Hetterich ◽  
Uli Lemmer ◽  
Michael Powalla ◽  
Hendrik Hölscher
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
White Light ◽  
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Light Illumination ◽  
Kelvin Probe ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
White Light Illumination

Analysis of untreated cross sections of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cells with varying Ga content using Kelvin probe force microscopy

2011 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 042111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenhao Zhang ◽  
Xiaochen Tang ◽  
Uli Lemmer ◽  
Wolfram Witte ◽  
Oliver Kiowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Kelvin Probe ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Ga Content

scholarly journals Know your full potential: Quantitative Kelvin probe force microscopy on nanoscale electrical devices

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1809-1819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelie Axt ◽  
Ilka M Hermes ◽  
Victor W Bergmann ◽  
Niklas Tausendpfund ◽  
Stefan A L Weber
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Thin Film Transistors ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ◽  
Reference Structure ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Kelvin Probe ◽  
Force Microscopy

In this study we investigate the influence of the operation method in Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) on the measured potential distribution. KPFM is widely used to map the nanoscale potential distribution in operating devices, e.g., in thin film transistors or on cross sections of functional solar cells. Quantitative surface potential measurements are crucial for understanding the operation principles of functional nanostructures in these electronic devices. Nevertheless, KPFM is prone to certain imaging artifacts, such as crosstalk from topography or stray electric fields. Here, we compare different amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM) KPFM methods on a reference structure consisting of an interdigitated electrode array. This structure mimics the sample geometry in device measurements, e.g., on thin film transistors or on solar cell cross sections. In particular, we investigate how quantitative different KPFM methods can measure a predefined externally applied voltage difference between the electrodes. We found that generally, FM-KPFM methods provide more quantitative results that are less affected by the presence of stray electric fields compared to AM-KPFM methods.

scholarly journals Quantification of electron accumulation at grain boundaries in perovskite polycrystalline films by correlative infrared-spectroscopic nanoimaging and Kelvin probe force microscopy

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Xiao Qin ◽  
En-Ming You ◽  
Mao-Xin Zhang ◽  
Peng Zheng ◽  
Xiao-Feng Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cell ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ◽  
Light Illumination ◽  
Kelvin Probe ◽  
Solar Cell Performance ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Infrared Spectroscopic

AbstractOrganic–inorganic halide perovskites are emerging materials for photovoltaic applications with certified power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) over 25%. Generally, the microstructures of the perovskite materials are critical to the performances of PCEs. However, the role of the nanometer-sized grain boundaries (GBs) that universally existing in polycrystalline perovskite films could be benign or detrimental to solar cell performance, still remains controversial. Thus, nanometer-resolved quantification of charge carrier distribution to elucidate the role of GBs is highly desirable. Here, we employ correlative infrared-spectroscopic nanoimaging by the scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy with 20 nm spatial resolution and Kelvin probe force microscopy to quantify the density of electrons accumulated at the GBs in perovskite polycrystalline thin films. It is found that the electron accumulations are enhanced at the GBs and the electron density is increased from 6 × 1019 cm−3 in the dark to 8 × 1019 cm−3 under 10 min illumination with 532 nm light. Our results reveal that the electron accumulations are enhanced at the GBs especially under light illumination, featuring downward band bending toward the GBs, which would assist in electron-hole separation and thus be benign to the solar cell performance.

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