55. Depth Profiling of Solar Cells Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

The quality control of the solar cells in the industrial chain is necessary to detect the responsible defects on the efficiency of the solar panels. In this context, we analyzed a polycrystalline silicon solar cell by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). The target was irradiated by a Nd: YAG pulsed laser at the fundamental wavelength λ = 1064 nm with an energy of 20 mJ. Based on the color of the used solar cell, two zones were detected: a blue zone representing the silicon wafer and a white zone representing the contact metal ribbons. Seven elements were detected in the white zone and only four in the blue zone. The distribution of the different elements in the sample is like a depth function called “Depth profiling” which can give us useful information about the constituent layers of this sample. In this work, the depth profiling of the various detected elements versus the number of laser shots was examined to understand the distribution of the elements in the volume of the solar cell.