Events Calendar

Materials Science for III-V/Si Multijunction Solar Cells

Speaker: Professor Steven A. Ringel, The Ohio State University

Talk Title: Materials Science for III-V/Si Multijunction Solar Cells

Series: Lyman Handy Colloquia

Abstract: Creating a cost-effective, implementable photovoltaic (solar cell) technology is a great and challenging problem for electronic materials research. The premium on utilizing the solar spectrum efficiently is met in importance by the need to do so at low cost and in a manufacturing-friendly, large-scale format. For many years, these often conflicting goals have motivated the desire to integrate high efficiency, III-V compound semiconductor photovoltaics, with their proven high solar energy conversion efficiencies (concentrator multijunction efficiencies exceed 45%), with Si and its existing, low-cost manufacturing industry. There has been tremendous progress toward the creation of Si-based multijunction solar cells in recent years, attributable largely to solving defect issues related to the epitaxial integration of III-V semiconductors (GaAs, GaAsP, GaP)
with group IV substrates (Si, SiGe, Ge). By achieving a defect-controlled III-V/IV heterovalent interface, one can subsequently grow high quality III-V solar cells on top of
the substrate and depending on choice of material, one can also make use of the Si growth substrate itself as a sub-cell within a true III-V/Si multijunction design. This
presentation will focus on our efforts to develop Si-based tandem and triple junction solar cells in which the Si substrate serves a dual use -“ as a low cost growth substrate
and as a high efficiency bottom junction for these unique multijunctions. Indeed this Si-based design also captures the ideal set of bandgaps for maximum efficiency and
therefore has the potential to solve the long-standing conundrum of performance and cost goals for photovoltaics.

Host: Professor Jongseung Yoon

Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Martin Olekszyk