Method and system for testing indirect bandgap semiconductor devices using luminescence imaging

A method for identifying electrically isolated or poorly connected regions in a solar cell, said solar cell comprising a portion of an indirect bandgap semiconductor wafer having at least one metal pattern disposed on a surface thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

• exciting said solar cell to emit luminescence;
• capturing at least one image of said emitted luminescence;
• and
• processing said at least one luminescence image to identify breaks in said metal pattern based on a comparison of intensities of regions in said at least one luminescence image.

An apparatus for determining spatially resolved properties of an indirect bandgap semiconductor device, said apparatus comprising:

• one or more excitation sources configured for exciting said indirect bandgap semiconductor device to emit luminescence;
• an image capture device configured for capturing two or more images of said luminescence emitted by said indirect bandgap semiconductor device, wherein the luminescence in each of the two or more luminescence images is emitted from said indirect bandgap semiconductor device in response to different excitation conditions;
• and
• a computer configured for processing said luminescence images to determine spatially resolved properties of said indirect bandgap semiconductor device based on a comparison of relative intensities of regions in said two or more luminescence images.

An apparatus for identifying electrically isolated or poorly connected regions in a solar cell, said solar cell comprising a portion of an indirect bandgap semiconductor wafer having at least one metal pattern disposed on a surface thereof, said apparatus comprising:

• an excitation source configured for exciting said solar cell to emit luminescence;
• an image capture-device configured for capturing at least one image of said emitted luminescence;
• and
• a computer configured for processing said at least one luminescence image to identify breaks in said metal pattern based on a comparison of intensities of regions in said at least one luminescence image.