Title :
Materials technologies for making GaAs-based solar cells on low-cost ceramics
Author :
Mauk, Michael G. ; Balliet, Jeremy R. ; Feyock, Bryan W. ; Sulima, Oleg V.
Author_Institution :
AstroPower Inc., Newark, DE, USA
Abstract :
Large-grain (>1-mm) germanium-on-ceramic substrates are developed for GaAs solar cells. Thin (2- to 5- micron) films of germanium are deposited on thermal-expansion matched polycrystalline alumina (Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/) substrates coated with a tungsten film that promotes wetting and adhesion. The Ge films are capped with various metal and oxide films, and then recrystallized in a rapid thermal processing (RTP) system. Average grain sizes greater than 1 mm are achieved. Epitaxial layers of GaAs epitaxy are grown on these structures using close-spaced vapor transport (CSVT) and liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE).
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; alumina; ceramics; elemental semiconductors; gallium arsenide; germanium; grain size; liquid phase epitaxial growth; rapid thermal processing; semiconductor epitaxial layers; solar cells; thermal expansion; 2 mum; 5 mum; GaAs; Ge-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/; adhesion; close-spaced vapor transport; epitaxial layers; grain sizes; liquid-phase epitaxy; low-cost ceramics; materials technology; rapid thermal processing; solar cell; thermal-expansion matched polycrystalline alumina; thin film; wetting;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 2003. Proceedings of 3rd World Conference on
Print_ISBN :
4-9901816-0-3
