Anomalously high lifetimes measured by quasi-steady-state photoconductance in advanced solar cell structures

Quasi-Steady-State Photoconductance is widely used in photovoltaics industry to measure the effective minority carrier lifetime of silicon wafers, a key material parameter affecting final solar cell efficiency. When interpreting photoconductance based lifetime measurements, it is important to account for various artefacts that can cause an over-estimation of the carrier lifetime, such as minority carrier trapping. This paper provides experimental evidence for another artefact in photoconductance lifetime measurements, affecting samples that have a conductive layer that is interrupted by lines of the opposite polarity doping, forming laterally alternating regions of p/n doping. This structure often appears in the emitter region of samples used to monitor the lifetime of interdigitated back contact cells. The cause of this artefact is linked to a reduction in the measured dark conductance. Experimental data are presented that suggest this is due to the formation of a phototransistor type structure on the samples surface, resulting in variations in conductivity under different illumination levels. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.