III N V semiconductors for solar photovoltaic applications

Abstract

III–N–V semiconductors are promising materials for use in next-generation multijunction solar cells because these materials can be lattice matched to substrates such as GaAs, Ge and Si, with a range of bandgaps that are complementary to those of other III–V semiconductors. Several potentially high-efficiency multijunction photovoltaic device designs using III–N–V materials are discussed. The main roadblock to the development of these solar cell devices is poor minority-carrier transport in the III–N–V materials. The present understanding of the material properties of GaInNAs lattice matched to GaAs and GaNPAs lattice matched to Si is reviewed.