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Title: Methods of producing free-standing semiconductors using sacrificial buffer layers and recyclable substrates

Abstract

A method of producing semiconductor materials and devices that incorporate the semiconductor materials are provided. In particular, a method is provided of producing a semiconductor material, such as a III-V semiconductor, on a spinel substrate using a sacrificial buffer layer, and devices such as photovoltaic cells that incorporate the semiconductor materials. The sacrificial buffer material and semiconductor materials may be deposited using lattice-matching epitaxy or coincident site lattice-matching epitaxy, resulting in a close degree of lattice matching between the substrate material and deposited material for a wide variety of material compositions. The sacrificial buffer layer may be dissolved using an epitaxial liftoff technique in order to separate the semiconductor device from the spinel substrate, and the spinel substrate may be reused in the subsequent fabrication of other semiconductor devices. The low-defect density semiconductor materials produced using this method result in the enhanced performance of the semiconductor devices that incorporate the semiconductor materials.

Inventors:
; ; ;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1182570
Patent Number(s):
9041027
Application Number:
13/990,756
Assignee:
Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC (Golden, CO)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
C - CHEMISTRY C30 - CRYSTAL GROWTH C30B - SINGLE-CRYSTAL-GROWTH
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
DOE Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Citation Formats

Ptak, Aaron Joseph, Lin, Yong, Norman, Andrew, and Alberi, Kirstin. Methods of producing free-standing semiconductors using sacrificial buffer layers and recyclable substrates. United States: N. p., 2015. Web.
Ptak, Aaron Joseph, Lin, Yong, Norman, Andrew, & Alberi, Kirstin. Methods of producing free-standing semiconductors using sacrificial buffer layers and recyclable substrates. United States.
Ptak, Aaron Joseph, Lin, Yong, Norman, Andrew, and Alberi, Kirstin. Tue . "Methods of producing free-standing semiconductors using sacrificial buffer layers and recyclable substrates". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1182570.
@article{osti_1182570,
title = {Methods of producing free-standing semiconductors using sacrificial buffer layers and recyclable substrates},
author = {Ptak, Aaron Joseph and Lin, Yong and Norman, Andrew and Alberi, Kirstin},
abstractNote = {A method of producing semiconductor materials and devices that incorporate the semiconductor materials are provided. In particular, a method is provided of producing a semiconductor material, such as a III-V semiconductor, on a spinel substrate using a sacrificial buffer layer, and devices such as photovoltaic cells that incorporate the semiconductor materials. The sacrificial buffer material and semiconductor materials may be deposited using lattice-matching epitaxy or coincident site lattice-matching epitaxy, resulting in a close degree of lattice matching between the substrate material and deposited material for a wide variety of material compositions. The sacrificial buffer layer may be dissolved using an epitaxial liftoff technique in order to separate the semiconductor device from the spinel substrate, and the spinel substrate may be reused in the subsequent fabrication of other semiconductor devices. The low-defect density semiconductor materials produced using this method result in the enhanced performance of the semiconductor devices that incorporate the semiconductor materials.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 26 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue May 26 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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