Title :
Fabrication of a new type of synthetic semiconductor in space
Author :
Hamakawa, Yoshihiro
Author_Institution :
Fac. of Eng. Sci., Osaka Univ., Japan
Abstract :
A review is given on the utilization of a space environment for the fabrication of a new type of synthetic semiconductor. Firstly, significancies of a space environment for material processing are enumerated. It has been shown that oxygen-free space with high vacuum environment and microgravity would be quite useful for semiconductor material preparations and device fabrication processing. Secondly, as an example of material processing, fabrication of a ternary Si-As-Te amorphous semiconductors in the Spacelab J is introduced together with essential advantages of this material system in views of both basic physics and technology as a new type of synthetic semiconductor. Some basic technical data on electrical, optical and optoelectronic properties, energy gap and also valency electron controllabilities are demonstrated. In a final part, a large area thin film growth in space and its application to a bioproductive photovoltaic power generation is proposed and discussed as a new step of space power station
Keywords :
amorphous semiconductors; arsenic compounds; energy gap; semiconductor growth; semiconductor thin films; silicon compounds; solar cells; space power generation; ternary semiconductors; valency; zero gravity experiments; SiAsTe; bioproductive photovoltaic power generation; electrical properties; energy gap; high vacuum environment; large area thin film growth; material processing; microgravity; optical properties; optoelectronic properties; oxygen-free space; solar cell; space environment; space power station; synthetic semiconductor fabrication; ternary amorphous semiconductor; valency electron controllabilities; Amorphous semiconductors; Biomedical optical imaging; Materials processing; Optical device fabrication; Optical materials; Photovoltaic systems; Physics; Semiconductor materials; Space power stations; Space technology;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1994., Conference Record of the Twenty Fourth. IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1994, 1994 IEEE First World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Waikoloa, HI
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1460-3
DOI :
10.1109/WCPEC.1994.519800
