Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Thin films of gallium arsenide on low-cost substrates. Annual report, September 1, 1976-August 31, 1977

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6299187· OSTI ID:6299187

Efforts during this year have been directed to (1) the construction of two gallium arsenide deposition systems using the halide process, (2) the preparation of tungsten/graphite and germanium(recrystallized)/tungsten/graphite substrates, (3) the deposition and characterization of gallium arsenide on tungsten/graphite substrates, and the fabrication and characterization of thin film gallium arsenide solar cells, and (4) the deposition and characterization of gallium arsenide films on germanium (recrystallized)/tungsten/graphite substrates and the fabrication of solar cells. Gallium arsenide films have been deposited on W/graphite substrates under a wide range of substrate temperature and reactant composition, and their properties have been evaluated. Films deposited under optimum conditions have an average crystallite size of about 15 ..mu..m and are essentially polycrystalline. Schottky barriers on these films do not exhibit ideal behaviors. MOS type solar cells with an AM1 efficiency (no AR coatings) of up to 3.5% have been produced. Gallium arsenide films deposited on Ge(recrystallized)/W/graphite substrates have considerably larger crystallites with a strong (111) preferred orientation and contains a high concentration of germanium, about 10/sup 17/ cm/sup -3/. Solar cells from these films have poor characteristics due to the high diffusion rate of germanium along grain boundaries.

Research Organization:
Southern Methodist Univ., Dallas, TX (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF01284
OSTI ID:
6299187
Report Number(s):
DOE/SF/01284-T4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English