Photoluminescence Analysis of Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Chapter 11 Photoluminescence Analysis of Thin-Film Solar Cells Thomas Unold, Thomas Unold Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorLevent Gütay, Levent Gütay Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Department of Physics, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße 9–11, D-26129 Oldenburg, GermanySearch for more papers by this author Thomas Unold, Thomas Unold Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorLevent Gütay, Levent Gütay Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Department of Physics, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße 9–11, D-26129 Oldenburg, GermanySearch for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):Daniel Abou-Ras, Daniel Abou-Ras Helmholtz Center Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz, Berlin, GM, 14109 GermanySearch for more papers by this authorThomas Kirchartz, Thomas Kirchartz Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, IEK-5 Photovoltaik, Leo-Brandt-Straße, 52428 Jülich GermanySearch for more papers by this authorUwe Rau, Uwe Rau Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, IEK-5 Photovoltaik, Leo-Brandt-Straße, 52428 Jülich GermanySearch for more papers by this author First published: 22 July 2016 https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527699025.ch11Citations: 20 AboutPDFPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShareShare a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary The emission of photoluminescence (PL) radiation is caused by the transition of electrons from higher occupied electronic states into lower unoccupied states, under the emission of photons if the transition is dipole allowed. According to the laws of quantum mechanics, the transition rate can be calculated by first-order perturbation theory using Fermi's golden rule. This chapter describes the most important radiative transitions occurring in semiconductor materials. The shift of transition energy with increasing temperature may be influenced by a shift in the optical gap with temperature. The chapter discusses some typical PL measurement results for chalcopyrite-type Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films and also completed solar cells. The chapter also distinguishes between low-temperature and room-temperature luminescence analyses. Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages depending on the material and the investigated material properties. When the temperature is raised to room temperature, band-band transitions become very likely, as the bands are now sufficiently populated by photoexcited carriers. Citing Literature Advanced Characterization Techniques for Thin Film Solar Cells, Volume 1, Second RelatedInformation