GaAs Solar Cells Grown by Hydride Vapor-Phase Epitaxy and the Development of GaInP Cladding Layers
The high cost of high-efficiency III-V photovoltaic devices currently limits them to niche markets. Hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE) growth of III-V materials recently reemerged as a low-cost, high-throughput alternative to conventional metal- organic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth of high-efficiency solar cells. Previously, we demonstrated unpassivated HVPEgrown GaAs p-n junctions with good quantum efficiency and high open-circuit voltage (Voc). In this work, we demonstrate the growth of GaInPby HVPE for use as a high-quality surface passivation layer to GaAs solar cells. Solar cells grown with GaInP window layers show significantly improved quantum efficiency compared with unpassivated cells, increasing the short-circuit current (JSC) of these low-cost devices. These results show the potential of low-cost HVPE for the growth of high-quality III-V devices.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 1320385
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5J00-67049
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 6, Issue 1; ISSN 2156-3381
- Publisher:
- IEEE
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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