Fault localization and failure modes in microsystems-enabled photovoltaic devices

Microsystems-enabled photovoltaic (MEPV) technology is a promising approach to lower the cost of solar energy to competitive levels. This paper describes current development efforts to leverage existing silicon integrated circuit (IC) failure analysis (FA) techniques to study MEPV devices. Various FA techniques such as light emission microscopy and laser-based fault localization were used to identify and characterize primary failure modes after fabrication and packaging. The FA results provide crucial information used in provide corrective actions and improve existing MEPV fabrication techniques.