Selected boundaries in a polycrystalline solar cell were imaged by using scanning electron microscopic beam-induced current techniques and ion beam-induced charge methods, with a 2MeV focused He-ion beam. It was found that the ion beam-induced charge maps gave a lower resolution and weaker contrast than did electron beam-induced current images. This was attributed to the larger spot size of the ion beam. However, the ion beam-induced charge method permitted an analysis to be made of the height of the charge pulses which were produced by single ions.

C.Donolato, R.Nipoti, D.Govoni, G.P.Egeni, V.Rudello, P.Rossi: Materials Science and Engineering B, 1996, 42[1-3], 306-10