Photoluminescence imaging characterization of thin-film InP

Indium phosphide grown using a novel vapor-liquid-solid method is a promising low-cost material for III-V single-junction photovoltaics. In this work, we characterize the properties of these materials using photoluminescence (PL) imaging, time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), and microwave-reflection photoconductive decay (μ-PCD). PL image data clearly shows the emergence of a self-similar dendritic growth network from nucleation sites, while zoomed-in images show grain structure and grain boundaries. Single photon TRPL data shows initial surface-dominated recombination, while two-photon excitation TRPL shows a lifetime of 10 ns. Bulk carrier lifetime may be as long as 35 ns as measured by μ-PCD, which can be less sensitive to surface recombination.