Patent ID: 7893409
Filing Date: 2011-02-22
Classification: G01N,H02S,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of characterizing photoluminescence of a semiconductor substrate used in fabrication of a solar cell, the method comprising: irradiating a surface of the substrate with radiation having a predetermined energy for a first predetermined finite period of time to photogenerate carriers therein; stopping the irradiation of the substrate at the end of the first predetermined finite period of time; exposing the surface of the substrate to a camera for a second predetermined finite period of time, the start of the second predetermined finite period of time non-overlapping with the first predetermined finite period of time and delayed from the end of the first predetermined finite period of time by a third predetermined finite period of time, wherein the substrate is not irradiated during the second and third predetermined finite periods of time; and capturing with the camera a photoluminescence (PL) signal emitted from the surface of the substrate and generated by recombination of the carriers therein.