Daniel Abou-Ras is senior scientist at the Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy, Germany. He obtained his PhD at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. In 2005, he was awarded the MRS Graduate Student Gold Award at the MRS Spring Meeting. His research interests are correlative approaches in scanning as well as transmission electron microscopy, mainly applied on semiconductor devices.Thomas Kirchartz is professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the University Duisburg-Essen and head of the Division for Organic and Hybrid Solar Cells at the Institute of Energy and Climate Research 5 - Photovoltaics at the Research Center Julich, Germany. Previously he was Junior Research Fellow in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, UK. He obtained his degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in 2006 and his PhD from the RWTH Aachen, Germany, in 2009.Uwe Rau is full professor at the Faculty Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the RWTH Aachen, Germany, since 2007 and head of the Institute of Energy and Climate Research 5 - Photovoltaics at the Research Center Julich, Germany. He obtained his PhD 1991 from the University Tubingen and was scientific group leader from 1995-2007 at the Universities of Bayreuth and Stuttgart.

• PART I. IntroductionINTRODUCTION TO THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAICSIntroductionThe Photovoltaic PrincipleFunctional Layers in Thin-Film Solar CellsComjparison of Various Thin-Film Solar-Cell TypesConclusionsPART II. Device CharacterizationFUNDAMENTAL ELECTRICAL CHARACTERIZATIONS OF THIN-FILM SOLAR CELLSIntroductionCurrent/Voltage CurvesQuantum-Efficiency MeasurementsELECTROLUMINESCENCE ANALYSIS OF SOLAR CELLS AND SOLAR MODULESIntroductionBasicsSpectrally Resolved ELSpatially Resolved EL of c-Si Solar CellsEL Imaging of Thin-Film Solar Cells and ModulesElectromodulated Luminescence under IlluminationCAPACITANCE SPECTROSCOPY OF THIN-FILM SOLAR CELLSIntroductionAdmittance BasicsSample RequirementsInstrumentationCV Profiling and the Depletion ApproximationAdmittance Response of Deep StatesThe Influence of Deep States on CV ProfilesDeep-Level Transient SpectroscopyAdmittance SpectroscopyDrive-Level Capacitance ProfilingPhotocapacitanceThe Meyer-Neldel RuleSpatial Inhomogeneities and Interface StatesMetastabilityTIME-OF-FLIGHT ANALYSISIntroductionFundamentals of TOF MeasurementsExperimental DetailsAnalysis of TOF ResultsTRANSIENT OPTOELECTRONIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THIN-FILM SOLAR CELLSIntroductionMeasurement SetupCharge Extraction and Transient PhotovoltageCE with Linearly Increased VoltageTime-Delayed Collection Field MethodSTEADY-STATE PHOTOCARRIER GRATING METHODIntroductionBasic Analysis of SSPG and Photocurrent ResponseExperimental SetupData AnalysisResultsDOS DeterminationData Collection by Automization and Combination with other ExperimentsSummaryPART III. Materials CharacterizationABSORPTION AND PHOTOCURRENT SPECTROSCOPY WITH HIGH DYNAMIC RANGEIntroductionPhotothermal Deflection SpectroscopyFourier Transform Photocurrent SpectroscopySPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETRYIntroductionTheoryEllipsometry InstrumentationData AnalysisSpectroscopic Ellipsometry forThin-Film PhotovoltaicsSummary and OutlookCHARACTERIZING THE LIGHT-TRAPPING PROPERTIES OF TEXTURED SURFACES WITH SCANNING NEAR-FIELD OPTICAL MICROSCOPYIntroductionHow Does a Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscope Work?The Role of Evanescent Modes for Light TrappingAnalysis of Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy Images by Fast Fourier TransformationInvestigation of Individua lWaveguide ModesLight Propagation inThin-Film Solar Cells Investigated with Dual-Probe SNOMConclusionPHOTOLUMINESCENCE ANALYSIS OF THIN-FILM SOLAR CELLSIntroductionExperimental IssuesBasic TransitionsCase StudiesELECTRON-SPIN RESONANCE (ESR) IN HYDROGENATED AMORPHOUS SILICON (a-Si:H)IntroductionBasics of ESRHow to Measure ESRThe g Tensor and Hyperfine Interaction in Disordered SolidsDiscussion of Selected ResultsAlternative ESR DetectionConcluding RemarksSCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY ON INORGANIC THIN FILMS FOR SOLAR CELLSIntroductionExperimental BackgroundSelected ApplicationsSummaryELECTRON MICROSCOPY ON THIN FILMS FOR SOLAR CELLSIntroductionScanning Electron MicroscopyTransmission Electron MicroscopySample Preparation TechniquesX-RAY AND NEUTRON DIFFRACTION ON MATERIALS FOR THIN-FILM SOLAR CELLSIntroductionDiffraction of X-Rays and Neutron by MatterGrazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD)Neutron Diffraction of Absorber Materials for Thin-Film Solar CellsAnomalous Scattering of Synchrotron X-RaysIN SITU REAL-TIME CHARACTERIZATION OF THIN-FILM GROWTHIntroductionReal-Time In Situ Characterization Techniques for Thin-Film GrowthX-Ray Methods for Real-Time Growth AnalysisLight Scattering and ReflectionSummaryRAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY ON THIN FILMS FOR SOLAR CELLSIntroductionFundamentals of Raman SpectroscopyVibrational Modes in Crystalline MaterialsExperimental ConsiderationsCharacterization of Thin-Film Photovoltaic MaterialsConclusionsSOFT X-RAY AND ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY: A UNIQUE "TOOL CHEST" TO CHARACTERIZE THE CHEMICAL AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF SURFACES AND INTERFACESIntroductionCharact