Evaluation of grain boundary recombination velocity in polycrystalline silicon from the spectral response of Schottky-barrier solar cells

A method based on the spectral response of polycrystalline semiconductor photovoltaic cells for evaluation of the grain boundary recombination velocity (SGB) is presented. The wavelength of the maximum of the spectral response, for a polycrystalline semiconductor with known grain size, depends on SGB. By comparison of the experimental with the theoretical wavelength of the maximum of the spectral response, it is possible to determine the grain boundary recombination velocity.