An innovative method for accelerated ageing study of CPV receivers: Thermal inhomogeneities mapping via electroluminescence

Direct Bonded Copper (DBC) and Insulated Metal Substrate (IMS) are commonly used in power electronics. The first is also the state of the art substrate for concentrator photovoltaics (CPV). We developed an alternative structured on IMS and studied its degradation based on IEC standard accelerated ageing tests, namely thermal cycling and damp heat. Receivers were mounted onto a heatsink for the tests. Characterizations were done at several stages of ageing, involving Electroluminescence (EL), Dark-IV (DIV), and Light-IV (LIV). During this study, a new method for the observation of thermal inhomogeneities based on EL has been achieved.