Across the whole life cycle of solar/photovoltaic, product development we know how to provide relevant information regarding material properties, structure, composition and chemistry. Here are just a few ways we can help:

Materials Testing and Characterization: A vast array of materials testing services and analytical techniques are available within EAG to evaluate identity, composition, purity and performance of material. From R&D activities to problem-solving and QC evaluations we cover all grades of materials for silicon cell manufacturing and also for other solar material technologies such as CdTe, CIGS or other novel materials.

Failure Analysis: EAG Laboratories can provide full support into investigations of failed materials, cells or modules. Our rigorous analytical approach and flexibility enable us to bring the most appropriate techniques to address a problem. We have the ability to tackle anything from electrical related failures, materials issues to packaging or structural problems associated with UV exposure or accelerated aging.

Crystalline Si: We offer services to address bulk solar wafer purity and dopant levels, along with methods to profile dopant concentration on roughened solar wafer surfaces. Protocols exist for testing for B, P, C and O levels on Si solar wafers.

Thin Film Si: Thin film Si solar cells: e.g. amorphous Si (α-Si), microcrystalline Si (μc-Si), nanocrystalline Si (nc-Si) and amorphous SiGe (α-SiGe) can all be fully characterized using EAG methods. For these materials, we can fully characterize layer structures, crystallinity, purity, hydrogen content and other relevant characteristics such as grain structure.

CIGS and CdTe: For non-Si based cells, EAG can also fully characterize the photovoltaic material itself and supporting substrates and contacts. Important factors such as doping levels, impurities, grain structure, interface quality and crystallinity can be addressed by a combination of approaches including microscopy, depth profiling and diffraction based methods.

Novel Materials: For new materials such as dye-sensitized solar cells, microcrystalline SiC (μc-SiC), nano-engineered materials and 3D structured materials, EAG Laboratories can bring its full range of analytical skills to support R&D and product development.