Structural and optical investigations of GaN-Si interface for a heterojunction solar cell

In recent years the development of heterojunction silicon based solar cells has gained much attention, lead largely by the efforts of Panasonic's HIT cell. The success of the HIT cell prompts the scientific exploration of other thin film layers, besides the industrially accepted amorphous silicon. The band gap, mobilities, and electron affinity of GaN make it an interesting candidate to solve problems of parasitic absorption while selectively extracting electrons. Using a novel MBE based growth technique, thin films of GaN have been deposited at temperature significantly lower than industry standards. Crystalline measurements and absorption data of GaN are presented. Additionally, effects of deposition on the silicon wafer lifetimes are presented.