Characterization & modelling of low frequency electronic noise in photovoltaic cells

Low frequency electronic noise (LFN) is a precise and non-destructive characterization tool widely used in microelectronics. In particular, it can detect the presence of structural defects in semiconductor components, which cause unwanted electronic levels called "traps" that reduce their performance. Although its use in the photovoltaic (PV) field is still limited, it tends to get democratized and noise appears more and more as a relevant and innovative tool for characterizing PV samples. Indeed, PV cells are generally subject to many structural defects due to their large size and manufacturing methods aiming at reducing their production cost. The cutting of samples, which is very common in the field, can also induce defects at the edges, which can lead to parasitic conduction mechanisms. This work has shown that electronic noise can be an efficient tool to identify these unconventional conduction mechanisms. This seminar aims to present the research work carried out on this subject at IMEP-LaHC. The modelling of electronic noise in solar cells will be based on experimental results from several types of samples.