Metal-organic chemical vapour deposition and LPE technologies for depositing GaAs and AlGaAs layers onto (100) GaAs substrates with a developed surface area were studied. Porous GaAs layers and surface micro-profiles of dendrite and quasi-grating types were fabricated on the substrates. The quality of the layers was determined via comparative studies of the surface morphology and X-ray diffraction, and photovoltaic converters based upon these layers were devised. The best parameters among the samples under study were attained in photovoltaic converters based upon layers with a dendrite-type substrate micro-profile, which had the most developed area of the working surface and a dislocation density of 104/cm2. In particular, at a wavelength of 0.65μm, the external quantum efficiency of these photovoltaic converters was 150% higher than in reference samples produced on a smooth surface.

Photovoltaic Converters Based on GaAs and AlGaAs Epitaxial Layers on GaAs Substrates with Developed Surface Area. I.N.Arsentev, A.V.Bobyl, O.Y.Borkovskaya, D.A.Vinokurov, N.L.Dmitruk, A.V.Karimov, V.P.Kladko, R.V.Konakova, S.G.Konnikov, I.B.Mamontova: Semiconductors, 2006, 40[7], 854-9