Paper TF-ThP6
Understanding Some Pitfalls and Loopholes in Routine Characterization and Metrology of Thin Films for Solar Cells

Thursday, October 21, 2010, 6:00 pm, Room Southwest Exhibit Hall

We show that even the more ordinary metrology tools routinely used to evaluate thin films demonstrate some subtle, and some not so subtle, pitfalls which may lead to unexpected, and perhaps unnoticed, error in the measurement. In the extreme case, of course, one may altogether get the “wrong” answer. We focus on some of the primary tools used in the evaluation of thin films for photovoltaic applications. Empirical results from commercially available spectrophotometer, Hall, profilometer and other characterization tools are presented. We show, for example, that the commonly presented, but often unnoticed and not discussed, mismatch in reflectance data at the detector changeover (~800 nm) is readily explained and satisfactorily eliminated.