Carrier removal, temperature dependency and photoluminescence in heteroepitaxial InP solar cells

The apparently unrelated phenomena of temperature dependency, carrier removal, and photoluminescence are shown to be influenced by a common factor, the high dislocation density encountered in heteroepitaxial InP solar cells. In temperature dependency, open circuit voltage is the parameter most influenced by dislocations. The degree of carrier removal. due to radiation by 10 MeV protons, increases with increased dislocation density. The assumed introduction of non-radiative recombination centers, by dislocations, is tentatively held responsible for the large decrease observed in the photoluminescence intensity of heteroepitaxial InP cells