Sputtered oxide/indium phosphide junctions and indium phosphide surfaces

Journal Article · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · J. Appl. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.327930· OSTI ID:5420375

Tsai, M; Fahrenbruch, A L; Bube, R H

The reason that sputtered indium-tin oxide (ITO)/InP solar cells junctions with large lattice mismatch have the same efficiency as CdS/InP junctions with good lattice match is shown to be that sputtered ITO/InP junctions actually consist of n/sup +/-ITO/n-InP/p-InP buried homojunctions. To demonstrate this and to show that the homojunction formation is caused by thermal damage to the InP surface during sputtering deposition rather than from impurity diffusion from the oxide, a series of five different metal oxide/InP junctions have been formed by sputtering of the oxide, all with high solar efficiency. Junctions have been prepared both from single-crystal InP : Cd and from epitaxial crystal films of InP : Zn. The effects of sputter deposition of the oxide have been simulated by sputter etching of the InP surface, and the effects analyzed through measurements of the properties of Au/InP junctions, and of the Hall effect and photoluminescence of InP surfaces. Some heat treatment of the sputtered cells is required to achieve maximum efficiency, but excessive heat treatment causes degradation and often transformation from homojunctionlike to heterojunctionlike solar cell behavior. An actual In/sub 2/O/sub 3//InP heterojunction solar cell has been prepared by thermal oxidation of the InP.

• Research Organization: Department of Materials Science and Engineering Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
• OSTI ID: 5420375
• Journal Information: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 51:5; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320302* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Materials
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CADMIUM SULFIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CRYSTAL LATTICES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALS
DECOMPOSITION
DEPOSITION
DIFFUSION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EFFICIENCY
EPITAXY
EQUIPMENT
ETCHING
FABRICATION
FILMS
HALL EFFECT
HEAT TREATMENTS
IMPURITIES
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
INDIUM OXIDES
INDIUM PHOSPHIDE SOLAR CELLS
INDIUM PHOSPHIDES
INORGANIC PHOSPHORS
JUNCTIONS
MONOCRYSTALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHIDES
PHOSPHORS
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PNICTIDES
PYROLYSIS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPUTTERING
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE FINISHING
SURFACES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TIN COMPOUNDS
TIN OXIDES