Grain size dependent photoresponsivity in GaAs films formed on glass with Ge seed layers

The strong correlation between grain size and photoresponsivity in polycrystalline GaAs films on glass was experimentally demonstrated using Ge seed layers with a wide range of grain sizes (1‒330 μm). The crystal evaluations using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy revealed that 500-nm-thick GaAs films epitaxially grown from the Ge seed layers at 550 °C inherited the grain boundaries and crystal orientations in Ge. With increasing grain size, the photoresponsivity corresponding to GaAs increased from 0.01 to 3 A W−1 under a bias voltage of 0.3 V. The maximum value approached that of the GaAs film formed simultaneously on a single-crystal Ge wafer, indicating the high potential of the large-grained GaAs film. Knowledge gained from this study will be essential for designing advanced solar cells based on polycrystalline III–V compound semiconductors using inexpensive substrates.

Рентгеноструктурный анализ эпитаксиальных слоев со свойствами дислокационного фильтра

An approach to instant testing of epitaxial films with a sharp decrease in the threading dislocation density is proposed. High-resolution X-ray diffractometry, including reciprocal space mapping, has been used. The structure of GaAs/Si(001) heterosystems with low-temperature GaAs layers has been analyzed. A decrease in the density of threading dislocations in the GaAs film with the formation of a small-angle boundary has been detected.