SiGe layer structures for solar cell application grown by liquid phase epitaxy
- Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany)
- Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Metallforschung, Stuttgart (Germany)
- IMEC, Leuven (Belgium)
Si{sub 1{minus}x}Ge{sub x} layers with x = 0.09--0.27 were grown on Si (111) substrates by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). The formation of dislocations caused by the lattice mismatch was reduced from 5 {times} 109{sup 7} to 7 {times} 10{sup 5} cm{sup {minus}2} by growing buffer layers in which the Ge content increased continuously from 4 at.% Ge at the substrate/buffer interface up to the Ge content of the Si{sub 1{minus}x}Ge{sub x} base layer. The p-type SiGe layers grown from indium solution are about 20 {micro}m thick. The carrier concentration of 5 {times} 10{sup 16}--2 {times} 10{sup 17} cm{sup {minus}3} depends on Ge content and Ga doping. With a thin-film cell processed from a 14 {micro}m thick LPE-grown Si{sub 0.9}Ge{sub 0.1} base layer, an efficiency of 9.1% was achieved even without the presence of a buffer layer.
- OSTI ID:
- 304369
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970953--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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