(110)-Oriented GaAs Devices and Spalling as a Platform for Low-Cost III-V Photovoltaics

Wondwosen Metaferia, Jason Chenenko, Corinne Packard, Evan Wong, Aaron Ptak, Kevin Schulte

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus Citations

Abstract

We demonstrate the growth of GaAs solar cells by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) on epi-ready and previously spalled (110) GaAs wafers as an advance towards a potentially low-cost (110)-based device platform. Controlled spalling offers a fracture-based path to substrate cost amortization, enabling device exfoliation and substrate reuse, but the faceted surface generated during the spalling of (100)-oriented GaAs presents hurdles to direct regrowth of subsequent devices. Spalling of (110) substrates instead eliminates faceting by aligning the substrate surface with the predominant crystal cleavage plane. III-V epitaxy of solar cells is significantly less developed on (110)-oriented substrates, however. Here, we develop (110)-based GaAs solar cells grown by HVPE on epi-ready substrates, demonstrating equal performance to devices grown on the more standard (100) orientation. We also characterize the surface of spalled, (110)-oriented substrates, revealing flat terraces separated by steps with sub-micron-scale height on average. Finally, we present an initial device grown on a previously spalled surface without additional surface re-preparation with nearly 16% efficiency under a simulated AM1.5G spectrum. Together, these results provide preliminary evidence of a potentially low-cost path to enable terrestrial III-V photovoltaics via the (110) substrate orientation.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)962-967
Number of pages6
JournalIEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
Volume12
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 IEEE.

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/JA-5900-81725

Keywords

  • GaAs
  • HVPE
  • hydride vapor phase epitaxy
  • III-V
  • photovoltaic
  • PV
  • spalling

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