Fourier Transform-Luminescence Spectroscopy of Semiconductor Thin Films and Devices

We have been successful in adapting Fourier transform (FT) Raman accessories and spectrophotometers for sensitive measurements of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of photovoltaic materials and devices. In many cases, the sensitivity of the FT technique allows rapid room temperature measurements of weak luminescence spectra that cannot be observed using dispersive PL spectrophotometers. We present here the results of a number of studies of material and device quality obtained using FT-luminescence spectroscopy, including insights into bandgap variations, defect and impurity effects, and relative recombination rates. We also describe our approach to extending the range of the FT-Raman spectrophotometer to cover the region from 11,500 to 3700 cm^-1, enabling FT-luminescence measurements to be made from 1.42 to 0.46 eV, and our investigation of FT-PL microspectroscopy.