Antimonide-based devices for thermophotovoltaic applications

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999 · IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/16.792011· OSTI ID:20006093

Hitchcock, C W; Gutmann, R J; Borrego, J M; Bhat, I B; Charache, G W

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices have been fabricated using ternary and quaternary layers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on GaSb substrates. GaInSb ternary devices were grown with buffer layers to accommodate the lattice mismatch, and GaInAsSb quaternary devices were grown with lattice-matched compositions. Improved devices are obtained when optical absorption occurs in the p-layer due to the longer minority carrier diffusion length. Thick emitter p/n devices are limited by surface recombination, with highest quantum efficiency and lowest dark current being achieved with epitaxially grown surface passivation layers on lattice-matched MOVPE quaternaries. Thin emitter/thick base, n/p devices are very promising since surface passivation is less critical than for p-emitter devices.

• Research Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (US)
• OSTI ID: 20006093
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 46; ISSN 0018-9383; ISSN IETDAI
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
FABRICATION
GALLIUM ANTIMONIDES
THERMOPHOTOVOLTAIC CONVERTERS
VAPOR PHASE EPITAXY