Assessment of Carrier Lifetimes and Surface Recombination Velocity through Spectral Measurements

Published

May 11, 2018

Author(s)

John F. Roller, Behrang H. Hamadani

Abstract

Charge carrier lifetimes and surface recombination velocities were measured on photovoltaic- grade silicon wafers using a spectral-dependent method. Narrow bandwidth light emitting diodes (LEDs) were used to generate excess charge carriers inside the material. The effective lifetimes were accurately measured and then analyzed in conjunction with an analytical model relating the bulk lifetime and surface recombination velocity with effective lifetime and excitation wavelength. The agreement between the model and the measured data validates the ability to ascertain information about the bulk lifetime and surface recombination velocity through this measurement. The limitations of the model are also discussed in detail.

Proceedings Title

44th IEEE photovoltaic specialist conference

Conference Dates

June 25-30, 2017

Conference Location

Washington, DC

Pub Type

Conferences

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DOI Link

Keywords

Semiconductors, carrier lifetimes, surface recombination, LEDs

Citation

Roller, J. and Hamadani, B. (2018), Assessment of Carrier Lifetimes and Surface Recombination Velocity through Spectral Measurements, 44th IEEE photovoltaic specialist conference, Washington, DC, [online], https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2017.8366565 (Accessed October 14, 2025)