Economical GaAs Solar Cells by Epitaxial Lift-Off and Substrate Reuse

Solar power presents the opportunity for a revolution in worldwide energy generation. However, photovoltaics have yet to be the source of more than 0.1% of the energy generated worldwide. Our research is centered on developing technologies aimed at decreasing the cost/power output of III-V group photovoltaic cells. III-V photovoltaic devices consistently rank as some of the highest in efficiency among most semiconductor materials. However, material costs, along with the need for expensive methods of fabrication, currently limit the commercialization of GaAs and other III-V devices for most applications. Our research introduces a significant fabrication cost advantage through reuse of the GaAs substrate on which the thin film active layer is grown. The fabrication process will be described in greater detail in section 4. This technology will allow for commercialization of high efficiency III-V materials in a wide number of applications by lowering the cost of production.