Title :
Growth and characterization of III-nitride based multiple quantum wells for photovoltaic devices
Author :
Wadekar, P.V. ; Huang, H.C. ; Chang, C.W. ; Dung, T.W. ; Lin, Y.T. ; Chen, Q.Y. ; Chou, M.C. ; Feng, S.W. ; Tu, L.W. ; Hu, N.J. ; Wijesundera, D. ; Chu, W.K.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys. & Center for Nanosci. & Nanotechnol., Nat. Sun Yat Sen Univ., Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Abstract :
Efficient conversion of solar energy into electricity is crucial to the use of renewable energy. Among the various semiconductors being investigated for photovoltaic conversion, III- nitrides are fervently pursued because of their band gap tenability from 0.65 eV to 3.4 eV by adjusting the indium concentration of InXGa1-XN alloys. This enables the coverage of optical absorption over a wide range of the solar spectrum, thus providing a path to boosting the conversion efficiency. This presentation reports on multiple quantum well (MQW) based solar cells fabricated on LiGaO2 (001) substrates by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE). Metal-modulated-epitaxy (MME) technique was utilized to prevent formation of metal droplets during the material growth. Streaky patterns, seen in reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), indicate 2-dimensional (2D) growth throughout the device. Post-deposition characterizations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed smooth surfaces, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the epitaxial nature of the quantum well structure.
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; X-ray diffraction; drops; gallium alloys; indium alloys; molecular beam epitaxial growth; renewable energy sources; scanning electron microscopy; semiconductor growth; semiconductor quantum wells; solar cells; solar energy conversion; transmission electron microscopy; wide band gap semiconductors; 2D growth; III-nitride based multiple quantum wells; InXGa1-XN; MME technique; MQW based solar cells; PA-MBE; RHEED; SEM; TEM; X-ray diffraction; XRD; electron volt energy 0.65 eV to 3.4 eV; indium concentration; metal droplets; metal-modulated-epitaxy technique; optical absorption; photovoltaic conversion; photovoltaic devices; plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy; post-deposition characterizations; renewable energy; scanning electron microscopy; solar energy conversion; solar spectrum; transmission electron microscopy; two-dimensional growth; Diffraction; Gallium nitride; Lattices; Photovoltaic cells; Quantum well devices; Substrates; X-ray diffraction; III-Nitride solar cells; PA-MBE; TEM; multiple quantum wells;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2012 38th IEEE
Conference_Location :
Austin, TX
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-0064-3
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2012.6317973
