It is widely accepted that micro- and nanoscale inhomogeneities govern the performance of many thin-film solar cell absorbers. These inhomogeneities yield material properties (e.g., composition, structure, and charge collection) that are challenging to correlate across length scales and measurement modalities. The challenge is compounded if a correlation is sought during device operation or in conditions that mimic aging under particular stressors (e.g., heat and electrical bias). Correlative approaches, particularly those based on synchrotron x-ray sources, are powerful since they can access several material properties in different modes (e.g., fluorescence, diffraction, and absorption) with minimal sample preparation. Small-scale laboratory x-ray instruments have begun to offer multi-modality but are typically limited by low x-ray photon flux, low spatial resolution, or specific sample sizes. To overcome these limitations, a characterization stage was developed to enable multi-scale, multi-modal operando measurements of industrially relevant photovoltaic devices. The stage offers compatibility across synchrotron x-ray facilities, enabling correlation between nanoscale x-ray fluorescence microscopy, microscale x-ray diffraction microscopy, and x-ray beam induced current microscopy, among others. The stage can accommodate device sizes up to 25 × 25 mm2, offering access to multiple regions of interest and increasing the statistical significance of correlated properties. The stage materials can sustain humid and non-oxidizing atmospheres, and temperature ranges encountered by photovoltaic devices in operational environments (e.g., from 25 to 100 °C). As a case study, we discuss the functionality of the stage by studying Se-alloyed CdTe photovoltaic devices aged in the stage between 25 and 100 °C.
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June 2022
Research Article|
June 30 2022
Development of an operando characterization stage for multi-modal synchrotron x-ray experiments
Trumann Walker
;
Trumann Walker
(Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing)
1
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University
, Tempe, Arizona 85282, USA
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Tara Nietzold;
Tara Nietzold
(Investigation, Writing – review and editing)
1
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University
, Tempe, Arizona 85282, USA
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Niranjana Mohan Kumar;
Niranjana Mohan Kumar
(Investigation, Writing – review and editing)
1
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University
, Tempe, Arizona 85282, USA
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Barry Lai;
Barry Lai
(Investigation, Resources)
2
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory
, Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
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Kevin Stone
;
Kevin Stone
(Investigation, Resources)
3
Stanford Synchrotron Light Source, Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory
, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
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Michael E. Stuckelberger
;
Michael E. Stuckelberger
(Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review and editing)
4
Center for X-ray and Nano Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron
, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
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Mariana I. Bertoni
Mariana I. Bertoni
a)
(Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review and editing)
1
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University
, Tempe, Arizona 85282, USA
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: bertoni@asu.edu
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: bertoni@asu.edu
Rev. Sci. Instrum. 93, 065113 (2022)
Article history
Received:
January 31 2022
Accepted:
May 22 2022
Citation
Trumann Walker, Tara Nietzold, Niranjana Mohan Kumar, Barry Lai, Kevin Stone, Michael E. Stuckelberger, Mariana I. Bertoni; Development of an operando characterization stage for multi-modal synchrotron x-ray experiments. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 1 June 2022; 93 (6): 065113. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0087050
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