Photovoltaics researchers join forces

Posted: 

Ohio State engineers are taking advantage of advancements in materials for electronics to develop more efficient and affordable solar technologies. Solar cells, generally made of silicon, currently are not efficient at harnessing solar energy. Now, however, engineers are investigating how indium, gallium, and nitrogen could be used to make wide bandgap semiconductors for solar cell production.“The key to success is being able to grow the semiconductor crystals without generating defects that drop the solar conversion efficiency,” says Assistant Professor Roberto Myers, who collaborates on photovoltaic work with Siddharth Rajan, also an assistant professor. Both have dual appointments in electrical and computer engineering and in materials science and engineering, enabling them to take advantage of resources provided by both departments and by the university’s Institute for Materials Research.

“Advanced semiconductor materials are capable of using a much higher fraction of solar energy than silicon and are, in fact, already being used to power space vehicles,” Rajan says. “However, they are more expensive than silicon and are, therefore, not used for terrestrial applications yet. Our work aims to come up with new innovative ways that would reduce the cost of these solar cells but still ensure that they provide high efficiency.”

Myers and Rajan worked together to procure a new molecular beam epitaxy system, which allows them to grow the various layers of III-Nitride semiconductor crystal structures with nanometer-scale control. They also use another new tool, a metal organic chemical vapor deposition system, to enable epitaxial growth of semiconductors and nanostructures based on arsenides, phosphides, antimonides, and dilute nitrides.

Category: Research