Numerical simulation of cross section electron-beam induced current in thin-film solar-cells for low and high injection conditions

Electron-beam induced current measurements (EBIC) in the cross-section configuration can be used to characterize electronic properties of thin-film solar-cells with a spatial resolution in the submicrometer range. Assuming low injection conditions and complete charge carrier collection in the depletion region, the minority charge-carrier diffusion length and width of the space charge region can be extracted from EBIC data using an analytical expression. In the present work, we evaluate the validity of the assumptions underlying the analytical description by using numerical device simulation to describe EBIC profiles perpendicular to the pn-junction of thin-film solar cells. We find that under low injection conditions, the analytical description provides good results if the minority charge-carrier diffusion length in the absorber layer is significantly larger than the width of the space charge region. On the other hand, the analytical description of the EBIC profiles deviates significantly from the numerical simulation for short diffusion lengths and also for high injection conditions. Experimental EBIC profiles of Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 solar cells are evaluated to obtain local minority carrier diffusion-lengths and to illustrate high-injection and low-injection effects in the measurements. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.