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Process Development and Integration Laboratory Photovoltaic Research Process Development and Integration Laboratory

Stand-Alone Measurements and Characterization Capabilities

The Stand-Alone Measurements and Characterization (M&C) tools in the Process Development and Integration Laboratory offer powerful capabilities for measuring and characterizing photovoltaic materials and devices. Contact Pete Sheldon or other contacts listed on specific tool pages for more details on these capabilities.

Basic Stand-Alone M&C Capabilities


Measurements and Characterization

  1. Lock-in thermography imaging workstation
  2. Photoluminescence and electroluminescence imaging workstation
  3. n&k analyzer
  4. Large-area photoemission tool
  5. Semilab tool
  6. Scanning electron microscopy tool
  7. Photothermal deflection spectroscopy tool
  8. Scanning probe microscopy tool
  9. Reflectometer diagnostic tool

Processing

  1. Optical processing furnace—also called the optical thermal annealing station
  2. Silicon wafer preparation workstation

The figure shows where the tools or techniques—numbered in the list above—that make up the Stand-Alone Measurements and Characterization suite are located within several bays in the Process Development and Integration Laboratory.

Schematic overhead drawing of the stand-alone measurements and characterization equipment in two bays in the PDIL. The basic arrangement of the main units that measure optoelectrical, structural, and compositional characteristics of samples are indicated. Each unit is labeled with its function and these labels are included in the list above on the Web page. A four-color bar below the diagram is a key to the class of capabilities of individual tools. Yellow shows sample handling; green shows material deposition or device fabrication; blue shows processing; and purple shows measurements and characterization.

Schematic of Stand-Alone Measurements and Characterization techniques available in Bay 5 and Bay 6. The color bar is a key to the basic class of each capability.

Other Measurements and Characterization Capabilities

The capabilities of the Stand-Alone Measurements and Characterization tool suite are supplemented by the Integrated Measurements and Characterization cluster tool within Bay 6 of the Process Development and Integration Laboratory. Samples from the Stand-Alone Measurements and Characterization tool suite can be transported to the Integrated Measurements and Characterization cluster tool using the mobile transport pod, which can keep samples under vacuum conditions. View a short animated video that explains seven terms related to sample measurements in the PDIL.

Other stand-alone measurements and characterization capabilities exist within the National Center for Photovoltaics, but are located in laboratories outside the PDIL. These capabilities can be found on the NREL Measurements and Characterization Web site.