In this section:
Introduction .............................................................................. 7-1
Equipment required .................................................................. 7-1
Device connections .................................................................. 7-2
Setting up measurements in the Clarius software .................... 7-4
Introduction
This example shows how to use a 4200-SMU, 4201-SMU, 4210-SMU, or 4211-SMU instrument to
perform a forward-biased voltage sweep on a solar cell in a 4-wire configuration. Current is measured
on each step of the sweep and an I-V graph is generated from the collected data. The Formulator
calculates common electrical characteristics of the cell.
These instructions show you how to make connections from the SMU to the solar cell and how to add
the forward bias I-V test into a new project and automate the measurements.
From the I-V characteristics measured by the 4200A-SCS, you can determine important parameters
about the solar cell, including:
•
Maximum current (I
MAX
) and voltage (V
MAX
)
•
Maximum power (P
MAX
)
•
Open-circuit voltage (V
OC
)
•
Short-circuit current (I
SC
)
Equipment required
•
One 4200A-SCS with one 4200-SMU, 4201-SMU, 4210-SMU, or 4211-SMU
•
Four triaxial cables (4200-TRX-2 or 4200-MTRX-2)
•
One solar cell
•
One light source
Section 7
Make I-V measurements on a solar cell
