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Title: Thin films of gallium arsenide on low-cost substrates. Quarterly technical progress report No. 8 and topical report No. 3, April 2-July 1, 1978

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5509478· OSTI ID:5509478

The seventh quarter of work on the contract is summarized. The metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD) technique has been applied to the growth of thin films of GaAs and GaAlAs on inexpensive polycrystalline or amorphous substrate materials (primarily glasses and metals) for use in fabrication of large-area low-cost photovoltaic device structures. Trimethylgallium (TMG), arsine (AsH/sub 3/), and trimethylaluminum (TMAl) are mixed in appropriate concentrations at room temperature in the gaseous state and pyrolyzed at the substrate, which is heated in a vertical reactor chamber to temperatures of 725 to 750/sup 0/C, to produce the desired film composition and properties. The technical activities during the quarter were concentrated on (1) a continuing evaluation of various graphite materials as possible substrates for MO-CVD growith of the polycrystalline GaAs solar cells; (2) attempts to improve the quality (especially the grain size) of polycrystalline GaAs films on Mo sheet and Mo/glass substrates by using HCl vapor during the MO-CVD growith process; (3) further studies of the transport properties of polycrystalline GaAs films, wth emphasis on n-type films; (4) continuing investigations of the properties of p-n junctions in polycrystalline GaAs, with emphasis on the formation and properties of p/sup +//n/n/sup +/ deposited structures; and (5) assembling apparatus and establishing a suitable technique for producing TiO/sub 2/ layers for use as AR coatings on GaAs cells. Progress is reported. (WHK)

Research Organization:
Rockwell International Corp., Anaheim, CA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-03-1202
OSTI ID:
5509478
Report Number(s):
SAN-1202-78/3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English