Arizona State University

Yuan Zhao

Yong-Hang Zhang

Zachary Holman

Mathieu Boccard

Devices converting light to electricity (such as solar cells or photodetectors) including a heavily-doped p-type a-SiC:H and an i-MgCdTe/n-CdTe/N&#x2014;MgCdTe double heterostructure (DH), with power conversion efficiency of as high as 17%, Vas high as 1.096 V, and all operational characteristics being substantially better than those of monocrystalline solar cells known to-date. The a-SiC:H layer is configured to enable high built-in potential while, at the same time, allowing the doped absorber to maintain a very long carry lifetime. In comparison, similar undoped CdTe/MgCdTe DH designs reveal a long carrier lifetime of 3.6 &#x3bc;s and an interface recommendation velocity of 1.2 cm/s, which are lower than the record values reported for GaAs/AlGaAs (18 cm/s) and GaAs/GaInP (1.5 cm/s) DHs.

Growing community of inventors

Mesa, AZ, United States of America

Yuan Zhao