Advanced materials and device analytical techniques

The analytical approaches discussed in this chapter are categorized into three major areas: volume analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy, and microelectrical characterization. Electron-beam induced-current and voltage techniques are described. The applications are chosen to illustrate both the utility and the weaknesses of these analytical approaches. The range of analytical tools useful to the solar technologies is expansive. This chapter introduces some of the more utilized (and perhaps more sophisticated) characterization techniques, focusing primarily on those in the compositional, chemical and microelectrical areas. The intent is to provide some understanding of the fundamental principles or physics of each of these methods, their instrumentation, their limitations and their strengths, and the applications to technology development