Global Hyperspectral Imaging for the Next Generation of Advanced Materials
Conduct your measurements in realistic parameters without damaging your film or device
Upscaling the development of new photovoltaic materials
The field of photovoltaic materials keeps expanding exponentially, and the variety of solar cells has never been so broad. Despite the important advances in this field, newcomers struggle to be economically competitive with silicon-based materials. This is mostly due to the lack of understanding and control over the non-uniformity of the active layers, thus hindering the optimization of optoelectronic properties. In order to bring to the market the next generations of solar cells, researchers have to be able to study the spatial variation of their materials’ properties at a larger scale.
Hyperspectral imaging
To answer that need, hyperspectral imaging, both macro- and microscopic, provides rapid electroluminescence (EL) and photoluminescence (PL) maps allowing for the spatial observation of defects, constraints, and optoelectronic properties. Those techniques have already been successfully used to characterize inhomogeneities in CIS and perovskite solar cells.
Absolute photometric calibration
Additionally, absolute photometric calibration provides a direct way to measure the spatial variations of the quasi-Fermi level splitting (Δμ) and the external quantum efficiency (EQE). It also allows for extracting other optoelectronic properties, such as the saturation current, the solar cell efficiency, the local voltage of the diode, and the charge transport efficiency.
Global imaging
Finally, the use of global imaging instead of confocal point-by-point or line-scanning techniques allows for probing the optoelectronic properties in a realistic steady-state, as it reduces the charge diffusion towards darker regions. With uniform illumination, PL experiments are performed in the range of 0.1 suns or up to 500 suns, which are realistic operating conditions of PV panels.