Correlative characterization of dislocation defects and defect clusters in GaAs and CdTe solar cells by spatially resolved optical techniques and high-resolution TEM

An array of correlative and spatially-resolved techniques, including electroluminescence, photoluminescence, Raman, I-V curve, and high-resolution TEM, have been performed on both GaAs and CdTe solar cells, to study the impact of individual dislocation defects and defect clusters on device performance, the dependence of the impact on the device operation conditions, and the microscopic structures of the defects. This approach offers quantitative and definitive correlation between the atomistic structure of a defect and its effects in a real device.