V x In (2–x) S 3 Intermediate Band Absorbers Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition
Abstract
Substitutional alloys of several thin film semiconductors have been proposed as intermediate band (IB) materials for use in next-generation photovoltaics, which aim to utilize a larger fraction of the solar spectrum without sacrificing significant photovoltage. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to IB material growth, namely atomic layer deposition (ALD), to enable unique control over substitutional-dopant location and density. Two new ALD processes for vanadium sulfide incorporation are introduced, one of which incorporates a vanadium (III) amidinate previously untested for ALD. We synthesize the first thin film VxIn(2-x)S3 intermediate band semiconductors, using this process, and further demonstrate that the V:In ratio, and therefore intraband gap density of states, can be finely tuned according to the ALD dosing schedule. Deposition on a crystalline In2S3 underlayer promotes the growth of a tetragonal β-In2S3-like phase VxIn(2-x)S3, which exhibits a distinct sub-band gap absorption peak with onset near 1.1 eV in agreement with computational predictions. But, the VxIn(2-x)S3 films lack the lower energy transition predicted for a partially filled IB, and photoelectrochemical devices reveal a photocurrent response only from illumination with energy sufficient to span the parent band-gap.
- Authors:
-
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Materials Science Division
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Materials Science Division; Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Biological and Chemical Sciences
- Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Frederick Seitz Materials Research Lab.
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nanoscience and Technology Division
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division; Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Biological and Chemical Sciences
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1352646
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Chemistry of Materials
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 28; Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 0897-4756
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
Citation Formats
McCarthy, Robert F., Weimer, Matthew S., Haasch, Richard T., Schaller, Richard D., Hock, Adam S., and Martinson, Alex B. F. V x In (2–x) S 3 Intermediate Band Absorbers Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b04402.
McCarthy, Robert F., Weimer, Matthew S., Haasch, Richard T., Schaller, Richard D., Hock, Adam S., & Martinson, Alex B. F. V x In (2–x) S 3 Intermediate Band Absorbers Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition. United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b04402
McCarthy, Robert F., Weimer, Matthew S., Haasch, Richard T., Schaller, Richard D., Hock, Adam S., and Martinson, Alex B. F. Mon .
"V x In (2–x) S 3 Intermediate Band Absorbers Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition". United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b04402. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1352646.
@article{osti_1352646,
title = {V x In (2–x) S 3 Intermediate Band Absorbers Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition},
author = {McCarthy, Robert F. and Weimer, Matthew S. and Haasch, Richard T. and Schaller, Richard D. and Hock, Adam S. and Martinson, Alex B. F.},
abstractNote = {Substitutional alloys of several thin film semiconductors have been proposed as intermediate band (IB) materials for use in next-generation photovoltaics, which aim to utilize a larger fraction of the solar spectrum without sacrificing significant photovoltage. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to IB material growth, namely atomic layer deposition (ALD), to enable unique control over substitutional-dopant location and density. Two new ALD processes for vanadium sulfide incorporation are introduced, one of which incorporates a vanadium (III) amidinate previously untested for ALD. We synthesize the first thin film VxIn(2-x)S3 intermediate band semiconductors, using this process, and further demonstrate that the V:In ratio, and therefore intraband gap density of states, can be finely tuned according to the ALD dosing schedule. Deposition on a crystalline In2S3 underlayer promotes the growth of a tetragonal β-In2S3-like phase VxIn(2-x)S3, which exhibits a distinct sub-band gap absorption peak with onset near 1.1 eV in agreement with computational predictions. But, the VxIn(2-x)S3 films lack the lower energy transition predicted for a partially filled IB, and photoelectrochemical devices reveal a photocurrent response only from illumination with energy sufficient to span the parent band-gap.},
doi = {10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b04402},
journal = {Chemistry of Materials},
number = 7,
volume = 28,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Mar 21 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Mon Mar 21 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
Web of Science
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