Thin film III–V photovoltaics using single-cry stalline-like, flexible substrates

High quality, epitaxial undoped, Zn- and Se-doped GaAs films have been grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on flexible metal substrates using buffered Ge epitaxial templates. The GaAs films exhibit strong (400) orientation, sharp in-plane texture, strong photoluminescence and a defect density of ∼107 cm−2. Furthermore, the GaAs films exhibit hole and electron mobilities as high as 106 and 872 cm2/V-s respectively. Also, roll-to-roll MOCVD growth of epitaxial GaAs films has been demonstrated for the first time on flexible metal substrates. These high mobility single-crystallinelike GaAs thin films on inexpensive flexible metal substrates are being developed for high efficiency, low cost thin film III–V solar photovoltaics (PV).