Design and fabrication of InxGa1−xN/GaN solar cells with a multiple-quantum-well structure on SiCN/Si(111) substrates

Abstract The fabrication and characterization of In x Ga 1 − x N/GaN-based solar cells that use In x Ga 1 − x N multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and a SiCN/Si(111) substrate are reported. Solar cell operation with a low dark current density (J d ), a high open-circuit voltage (V oc ), a high short-circuit current density (J sc ), and a high fill factor (FF) is demonstrated. It was found that the proposed device and fabrication technology are applicable to the realization of solar cells with a low J d of 2.14 to 8.88 μA/cm 2 , a high V oc of 2.72 to 2.92 V, a high J sc of 2.72 to 2.97 mA/cm 2 , and a high FF of 61.51 to 74.89%. The device performance with various quantum-well configurations was investigated under an air mass 1.5 global solar spectrum. A high photovoltaic efficiency of 5.95% in the MQW sample over the p-i-n sample was observed.