Controlled exfoliation of (100) GaAs-based devices by spalling fracture
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
The importance of exfoliation techniques increases as the semiconductor industry progresses toward thinner devices as a way to reduce material costs and improve performance. Here, the controlled spalling technique is a recently developed substrate removal process that utilizes the physics of fracture to create wafer cleavage parallel to the surface at a precise depth. In this letter, we apply principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics to predict the process conditions needed to exfoliate (100) GaAs of a desired thickness. Spalling can be initiated in a controllable manner, by depositing a stressor film of a residual stress value just below the threshold value to induce a spontaneous spall. Experimental data show process window requirements to controllably spall (100) GaAs. Additionally, experimental spall depth in (100) GaAs compares well to spalling mechanics predictions when the effects of wafer thickness and modulus are considered. To test spalled material quality, III-V single junction photovoltaic devices are lifted off of a (100)-GaAs substrate by spalling methods and electrical characteristics are recorded. No degradation is observed in the spalled device, illustrating the potential of this method to rapidly produce thin, high quality devices.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 1239062
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1234150
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5J00-65379; APPLAB
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 108, Issue 1; Related Information: Applied Physics Letters; ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Characterization of dual‐junction III‐V on Si tandem solar cells with 23.7% efficiency under low concentration
|
journal | April 2019 |
Measurement of strong photon recycling in ultra-thin GaAs n/p junctions monolithically integrated in high-photovoltage vertical epitaxial heterostructure architectures with conversion efficiencies exceeding 60%
|
journal | December 2016 |
Epitaxial growth and layer-transfer techniques for heterogeneous integration of materials for electronic and photonic devices
|
journal | October 2019 |
(111)Si thin layers detachment by stress-induced spallation
|
journal | January 2019 |
Similar Records
Controlled Spalling-Based Mechanical Substrate Exfoliation for III-V Solar Cells: A Review
(110)-Oriented GaAs Devices and Spalling as a Platform for Low-Cost III-V Photovoltaics