Multi-dimensional admittance spectroscopy

Abstract

We introduce the concept of multi-dimensional admittance spectroscopy capable of characterizing thin-film diode structures in both the (standard) transversal and lateral directions. This extends the capabilities of standard admittance spectroscopy based on the model of leaky capacitor with area defined by the metal contacts. In our approach, the ac signal spreads in the lateral directions far beyond the contact area. The spreading range defines the area of the effective capacitor determining the measured capacitance and conductance. It depends on the ac signal frequency, dc bias, and various structure parameters. A phenomenological description of these dependencies here is verified numerically using our original software to model the distributed admittance via finite element circuits. We analyze the case of photovoltaic devices and show how the multi-dimensional admittance spectroscopy is sensitive to lateral nonuniformity of the system, particularly to the presence of shunts and weak diodes and their location. In addition, the proposed characterization provides information about the system lump parameters, such as sheet resistance, shunt resistance, and open circuit voltage. © 2013 American Institute of Physics.