Utilization of an Electron-Beam Tester for Determining Internal Electric Field Profiles in Micro-Structured Thin-Film Semiconductor Devices

Authors

A. Jank, University of Kaiserslautern
M. Jung, University of Kaiserslautern
M. Lambert, University of Kaiserslautern
G. Lichter, University of Kaiserslautern
H. Schmoranzer, University of KaiserslauternFollow

Abstract

An electron-beam tester was used to determine the depth profile of the internal potential distribution in an a-Si:H solar cell and hence the internal electric field profile. The a-Si:H solar cells were prepared for the measurements with the electron-beam tester by low-energy chemical plasma beam etching through a plasma-resistant mask structured by electron-beam lithography. In contrast to an earlier work, the solar cells were in situ illuminated and the electric field profiles were determined for new, degraded and in situ annealed solar cells at various cell temperatures. The measuring results demonstrate that the electron-beam testing technique in combination with a suitable micro-structure preparation method is appropriate to measure internal electric field profiles in semiconductor devices as, e.g., solar cells for arbitrarily chosen bias and illumination states.

Recommended Citation

Jank, A.; Jung, M.; Lambert, M.; Lichter, G.; and Schmoranzer, H. (1995) "Utilization of an Electron-Beam Tester for Determining Internal Electric Field Profiles in Micro-Structured Thin-Film Semiconductor Devices," Scanning Microscopy: Vol. 10: No. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/microscopy/vol10/iss1/4