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- All Subjects: Bismides
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Towards high-efficiency thin-film solar cells: from theoretical analysis to experimental exploration
Description
GaAs single-junction solar cells have been studied extensively in recent years, and have reached over 28 % efficiency. Further improvement requires an optically thick but physically thin absorber to provide both large short-circuit current and high open-circuit voltage. By detailed simulation, it is concluded that ultra-thin GaAs cells with hundreds of nanometers thickness and reflective back scattering can potentially offer efficiencies greater than 30 %. The 300 nm GaAs solar cell with AlInP/Au reflective back scattering is carefully designed and demonstrates an efficiency of 19.1 %. The device performance is analyzed using the semi-analytical model with Phong distribution implemented to account for non-Lambertian scattering. A Phong exponent m of ~12, a non-radiative lifetime of 130 ns, and a specific series resistivity of 1.2 Ω·cm2 are determined.
Thin-film CdTe solar cells have also attracted lots of attention due to the continuous improvements in their device performance. To address the issue of the lower efficiency record compared to detailed-balance limit, the single-crystalline Cd(Zn)Te/MgCdTe double heterostructures (DH) grown on InSb (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are carefully studied. The Cd0.9946Zn0.0054Te alloy lattice-matched to InSb has been demonstrated with a carrier lifetime of 0.34 µs observed in a 3 µm thick Cd0.9946Zn0.0054Te/MgCdTe DH sample. The substantial improvement of lifetime is due to the reduction in misfit dislocation density. The recombination lifetime and interface recombination velocity (IRV) of CdTe/MgxCd1-xTe DHs are investigated. The IRV is found to be dependent on both the MgCdTe barrier height and width due to the thermionic emission and tunneling processes. A record-long carrier lifetime of 2.7 µs and a record-low IRV of close to zero have been confirmed experimentally.
The MgCdTe/Si tandem solar cell is proposed to address the issue of high manufacturing costs and poor performance of thin-film solar cells. The MBE grown MgxCd1-xTe/MgyCd1-yTe DHs have demonstrated the required bandgap energy of 1.7 eV, a carrier lifetime of 11 ns, and an effective IRV of (1.869 ± 0.007) × 103 cm/s. The large IRV is attributed to thermionic-emission induced interface recombination. These understandings can be applied to fabricating the high-efficiency low-cost MgCdTe/Si tandem solar cell.
Thin-film CdTe solar cells have also attracted lots of attention due to the continuous improvements in their device performance. To address the issue of the lower efficiency record compared to detailed-balance limit, the single-crystalline Cd(Zn)Te/MgCdTe double heterostructures (DH) grown on InSb (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are carefully studied. The Cd0.9946Zn0.0054Te alloy lattice-matched to InSb has been demonstrated with a carrier lifetime of 0.34 µs observed in a 3 µm thick Cd0.9946Zn0.0054Te/MgCdTe DH sample. The substantial improvement of lifetime is due to the reduction in misfit dislocation density. The recombination lifetime and interface recombination velocity (IRV) of CdTe/MgxCd1-xTe DHs are investigated. The IRV is found to be dependent on both the MgCdTe barrier height and width due to the thermionic emission and tunneling processes. A record-long carrier lifetime of 2.7 µs and a record-low IRV of close to zero have been confirmed experimentally.
The MgCdTe/Si tandem solar cell is proposed to address the issue of high manufacturing costs and poor performance of thin-film solar cells. The MBE grown MgxCd1-xTe/MgyCd1-yTe DHs have demonstrated the required bandgap energy of 1.7 eV, a carrier lifetime of 11 ns, and an effective IRV of (1.869 ± 0.007) × 103 cm/s. The large IRV is attributed to thermionic-emission induced interface recombination. These understandings can be applied to fabricating the high-efficiency low-cost MgCdTe/Si tandem solar cell.
ContributorsLiu, Shi (Author) / Zhang, Yong-Hang (Thesis advisor) / Johnson, Shane R (Committee member) / Vasileska, Dragica (Committee member) / Yu, Hongbin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
III-V-bismide semiconductor alloys are a class of materials with applications in the mid and long wave infrared spectrum. The quaternary alloy InAsSbBi is attractive because it can be grown lattice-matched to commercially available GaSb substrates, and the adjustment of the Bi and Sb mole fractions enables both lattice constant and bandgap to be tuned independently. This dissertation provides a comprehensive study of the surface morphology and the structural and chemical properties of InAsSbBi alloys grown by molecular beam epitaxy.
210 nm thick InAsSbBi layers grown at temperatures from 280 °C to 430 °C on (100) on-axis, (100) offcut 1° to (011), and (100) offcut 4° to (111)A GaSb substrates are investigated using Rutherford back scattering, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Nomarski optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results indicate that the layers are coherently strained and contain dilute Bi mole fractions.
Large surface droplets with diameters and densities on the order of 3 µm and 106 cm-2 are observed when the growth is performed with As overpressures around 1%. Preferential orientation of the droplets occurs along the [011 ̅] step edges offcut (100) 1° to (011) substrate. The surface droplets are not observed when the As overpressure is increased to 4%. Small crystalline droplets with diameters and densities on the order of 70 nm and 1010 cm-2 are observed between the large droplets for the growth at 430°C. Analysis of one of the small droplets indicates a misoriented zinc blende structure composed of In, Sb, and Bi, with a 6.543 ± 0.038 Å lattice constant.
Lateral variation in the Bi mole fraction is observed in InAsSbBi grown at high temperature (400 °C, 420 °C) on (100) on-axis and (100) offcut 4° to (111)A substrates, but is not observed for growth at 280 °C or on (100) substrates that are offcut 1° to (011). Improved crystal and optical quality is observed in the high temperature grown InAsSbBi and CuPtB type atomic ordering on the {111}B planes is observed in the low temperature grown InAsSbBi. Strain induced tilt is observed in coherently strained InAsSbBi grown on offcut substrates.
210 nm thick InAsSbBi layers grown at temperatures from 280 °C to 430 °C on (100) on-axis, (100) offcut 1° to (011), and (100) offcut 4° to (111)A GaSb substrates are investigated using Rutherford back scattering, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Nomarski optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results indicate that the layers are coherently strained and contain dilute Bi mole fractions.
Large surface droplets with diameters and densities on the order of 3 µm and 106 cm-2 are observed when the growth is performed with As overpressures around 1%. Preferential orientation of the droplets occurs along the [011 ̅] step edges offcut (100) 1° to (011) substrate. The surface droplets are not observed when the As overpressure is increased to 4%. Small crystalline droplets with diameters and densities on the order of 70 nm and 1010 cm-2 are observed between the large droplets for the growth at 430°C. Analysis of one of the small droplets indicates a misoriented zinc blende structure composed of In, Sb, and Bi, with a 6.543 ± 0.038 Å lattice constant.
Lateral variation in the Bi mole fraction is observed in InAsSbBi grown at high temperature (400 °C, 420 °C) on (100) on-axis and (100) offcut 4° to (111)A substrates, but is not observed for growth at 280 °C or on (100) substrates that are offcut 1° to (011). Improved crystal and optical quality is observed in the high temperature grown InAsSbBi and CuPtB type atomic ordering on the {111}B planes is observed in the low temperature grown InAsSbBi. Strain induced tilt is observed in coherently strained InAsSbBi grown on offcut substrates.
ContributorsKosireddy, Rajeev Reddy (Author) / Johnson, Shane R (Thesis advisor) / Smith, David J. (Committee member) / Alford, Terry L. (Committee member) / Soignard, Emmanuel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020