Determination of the magnitude and centroid of the charge in a thin-film insulator by CV and Kelvin probe measurements

Abstract

This paper describes how capacitance-voltage (CV) and Kelvin probe (KP) measurements can be combined to determine the magnitude and centroid of the electric charge in a thin-film insulator. The technique is demonstrated on three films of relevance to silicon solar cells: aluminium oxide, amorphous silicon nitride and silicon dioxide. Since the charge within these films is of different magnitudes, locations and polarity, they offer a good selection with which to demonstrate the combined CV and KP technique. Show more