PHOTOVOLTAICS CHARACTERIZATION - A SURVEY OF DIAGNOSTIC MEASUREMENTS

The advancement of the photovoltaic technology is closely linked to th e standard evaluation of the product, the diagnosis of problems, the v alidation of materials and cell properties, and the engineering and do cumentation of the ensemble of device properties from internal interfa ces through power outputs. The focus of this paper is on some of the m ore common, visible, and important techniques dealing with physical-ch emical through electro-optical parameters, which are linked intimately to the performance quality of materials and devices. Two areas, defin ed by their spatial-resolution qualities, are emphasized: macroscale a nd microscale measurement technologies. The importance, strengths, and limitations of these techniques are stressed, especially their signif icance to photovoltaics. Included are several techniques that have bee n developed specifically to address problems and requirements for phot ovoltaics. The regime of measurement literally covers arrays through a toms.