Lock-in Thermography Basics and Use for Evaluating Electronic Devices and Materials

This book discusses lock-in thermography (LIT) as a dynamic variant of the widely known IR thermography. It focuses on applications to electronic devices and materials, but also includes chapters addressing non-destructive evaluation. Periodically modulating heat sources allows a much-improved signal-to-noise ratio (up to 1000x) and a far better lateral resolution compared to steady-state thermography. Reviewing various experimental approaches to LIT, particularly the commercial LIT systems available, this 3rd edition introduces new LIT applications, such as illuminated LIT applied to solar cells, non-thermal LIT lifetime mapping and LIT application to spin caloritronics problems. Numerous LIT investigation case studies are also included.

Introduction.- Physical and Technical Basics.- Experimental Technique.- Theory.- Measurement Strategies.- Typical Applications.- Summary and Outlook.

Dr. Otwin Breitenstein received his Ph.D. in physics from University of Leipzig (Germany) in 1980 with a work on Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS). Since 1992 he is with Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle, Germany, where he investigates defects in semiconductors. Since 1999 he has been using lock-in thermography, optical imaging methods, and electron microscopy, for characterizing crystalline solar cells. He is mainly interested in detecting internal shunts and generally evaluating the local efficiency of inhomogeneous silicon solar cells. He is Assistant Professor at University of Halle, Germany, giving lectures on the physics of solar cells and on advanced characterization techniques. He is author of several hundred publications in journals and at conferences and author of a book on "Lock-in Thermography" (Springer 2003, second edition 2010).

Dr. Wilhelm Warta received the Diploma and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in 1978 and 1985, respectively. He joined Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Freiburg, Germany, in 1985, in recent years he acted as Head of the Department Characterization and Simulation/CalLab and the Deputy Director of the Division Silicon Solar Cells—Development and Characterization. He is the author or coauthor of close to 400 papers in reviewed journals and conferences. His research interests include the development of characterization techniques and application to crystalline silicon materials and solar cells, silicon material properties, and the impact on solar cell performance, simulation of solar cells, and cell processing, as well as solar cell calibration with highest precision.