Growth and characterization of InGaN for photovoltaic devices

Abstract In this work we present the growth and characterization of In x Ga 1–x N‐based materials and solar cells with x up to 0.39. The bandgap of the layers is determined by contactless electroreflectance, which indicates a substantial Stokes shift compared to photoluminescence measurements. Time‐resolved photo‐luminescence was used to confirm the existence of carrier localization phenomenon in the films. Fabricated p‐n devices are then studied for photo‐response under simulated AM0 spectral conditions and under wavelength‐dependent conditions to evaluate solar cell characteristics. All of the p‐n junctions exhibited photoresponse in the regions above their respective bandgaps. However, the dark and illuminated J‐V results indicate the existence of significant shunt and series resistances arising from material defects and non‐optimized device designs. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)