Luminescence imaging has established itself as a key characterization procedure in PV manufacturing – and its importance continues to grow. The darkroom procedure has the ability to peak into the bulk of silicon and map a wide range of inherent and process induced defects in the silicon substrate.
The technique is very versatile as it can be employed in R&D for process optimization and product development, and it can be effectively used for quality control in production lines as well.
The applications for luminescence imaging systems are spreading all over the PV value chain – from ingot characterization and as cut wafers to semi and fully processed cells as well as different stages of module making, and even power plants.
The luminescence effect is rather simple – it is the emission of light from semiconductor materials in response to an external excitation. The technique branches out into two principles based on excitation. When light is employed as excitation source, the phenomenon is called photoluminescence (PL); on the other hand, electroluminescence (EL) is a response to electrical bias. While PL can be implemented at any stage of the process chain, EL requires a fully functional electrical contact to be biased, meaning its application starts from the solar cell stage onwards.
The key advantages of luminescence imaging systems compared to conventional characterization procedures are:
short exposure time
no need for sample preparation
non-destructive nature
inspection at room temperature
simple operating principle
For our first market survey on luminescence imaging systems, nearly all leading companies active in that field have responded: the survey features 29 products from 8 tool suppliers from Europe and Australia. Products are described in detail in the survey text and the spec sheets are listed in a table.
Market survey on Luminescence Imaging Systems in detail:
After an introduction (1), an overview (2), and providing the latest on advancements in luminescence imaging systems, all along the value chain from ingots & bricks to new module technologies and systems (3), the market survey includes product descriptions for the different devices listed (4). A conclusions chapter analyses the survey content (5), followed by a table with detailed product specifications (6).
The TaiyangNews Market Survey on Luminescence Imaging Systems 2018 is for download free of charge here.