Template-assisted selective epitaxy for III-V vertical nanowires on Si tandem solar cells

Abstract

Solar cells incorporating III-V nanowires have attracted much attention recently to increase the window of spectral absorption of the current photovoltaic technology based on silicon. This work uses a novel template-assisted selective epitaxy (TASE) to grow III-V nanowires on Si by filling a pre-defined hollow SiO2 template. We discuss the developed template fabrication steps and demonstrate the integration of GaAs and InGaP nanowires on Si with well-controlled shape, dimensions and composition. This work demonstrates a new step towards the realization of III-V/Si tandem solar cells.