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Methods of producing free-standing semiconductors using sacrificial buffer layers and recyclable substrates

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1182570

A method of producing semiconductor materials and devices that incorporate the semiconductor materials are provided. In particular, a method is provided of producing a semiconductor material, such as a III-V semiconductor, on a spinel substrate using a sacrificial buffer layer, and devices such as photovoltaic cells that incorporate the semiconductor materials. The sacrificial buffer material and semiconductor materials may be deposited using lattice-matching epitaxy or coincident site lattice-matching epitaxy, resulting in a close degree of lattice matching between the substrate material and deposited material for a wide variety of material compositions. The sacrificial buffer layer may be dissolved using an epitaxial liftoff technique in order to separate the semiconductor device from the spinel substrate, and the spinel substrate may be reused in the subsequent fabrication of other semiconductor devices. The low-defect density semiconductor materials produced using this method result in the enhanced performance of the semiconductor devices that incorporate the semiconductor materials.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
Assignee:
Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC (Golden, CO)
Patent Number(s):
9,041,027
Application Number:
13/990,756
OSTI ID:
1182570
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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  • Sacks, R. N.; Qin, L.; Jazwiecki, M.
  • Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures, Vol. 17, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1116/1.590742
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