LabVIEW-Based Software for a Photovoltaic External Quantum Efficiency Measurement System

An important characteristic of any solar cell is how efficiently it can convert the Sun’s photons into charge carriers. The method used to quantify this efficiency is known as the “external quantum efficiency (EQE)” spectral measurement, defined as the wavelength-dependent measurement of the ratio of the rate of photocurrent electron collection (electrons/second) to the rate of incident photons (photons/second). Commercial systems to measure the EQE of a solar cell often use instruments sourced from other manufacturers in tandem with software written and sold by these retailers. The hardware is fairly easy and inexpensive to purchase and setup for a lab, but the software is unique, not sold separately from the system and is inaccessible to the end-user after purchasing a system. Here, we have developed a LabVIEW-based program to control commercial instrumentation, leading to higher performance and significant cost savings. In addition, we demonstrate the significant value inherent in controlling the software development process, which allows for complete customization.