Surface Photovoltaic Spectroscopy, or SPV, measurements are widely used to determine the minority carrier diffusion length of semiconductors. The transport of minority carriers determines the behavior of the p-n junctions that are ubiquitous in semiconductor devices. SPV measurements are very useful for iron and sodium content which are directly related to device performance. However, recent studies by Balazs have revealed that other metallic contaminants not detected by SPV are equally detrimental. This article summarizes the Balazs case study experiment and results using various measurement techniques to capture additional metallic contamination data, and key elements to controlling metallic contamination in your process. Read more