InP homojunction solar cells grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy

The application of the gas-source molecular beam epitaxy technique to the growth of InP homojunction solar cells is discussed. Cells of various emitter thicknesses as well as with a graded emitter were grown. Attempts to improve on the blue response of the 200 Å non-graded emitter solar cell by growing 100 Å and graded 200 Å emitter cells were unsuccessful; the blue responses for all three cells were nearly identical. The spectral response of the ⩽200 Å emitter cells was found to vary greatly in time before SiN_x antireflection coating deposition and was restored after SiN_x deposition