Thermography and electroluminescence imaging of scribing failures in Cu(In,Ga)Se sub(2) thin film solar modules

Intentionally implemented scribing failures in Cu(In,Ga)Se sub(2) modules are studied using electroluminescence (EL) and dark lock-in thermography (DLIT). While the EL images do not allow a non-ambiguous defect distinction, the DLIT images reveal characteristic defect patterns for each defect type. In order to explain the DLIT defect appearance, we model and simulate the scribing defects in a network simulation model. The simulations yield characteristic current flow patterns for each scribing defect type and thus aid in the understanding and interpretation of the measurements.