Wide bandgap n-type and p-type semiconductor porous junction devices as photovoltaic cells

Abstract

In junction absorber photovoltaics doped wide bandgap n-type and p-type semiconductors form a porous interpenetrating junction structure with a layer of low bandgap absorber at the interface. The doping concentration is high enough such that the junction depletion width is smaller than the pore size. The highly conductive neutral region then has a dentrite shape with fingers reaching the absorber to effectively collect the photo-carriers swept out by the junction electric field. With doping of 10(19) cm(-3) corresponding to a depletion width of 25 nm, pore size of 32 nm, absorber thickness close to exciton diffusion length of 17 nm, absorber bandgap of 1.4 eV and carrier mobility over 10(-5) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), numerical calculation shows the power conversion efficiency is as high as 19.4%. It rises to 23% for a triplet exciton absorber.