Efficient photovoltaic devices for InP semiconductor/liqud junctions
Abstract
An alternative to conventional solid-state photovoltaic devices is the semiconductor/liquid junction. Liquid-junction cells not only offer the possibility of integrating energy conversion and storage functions1, but also may exhibit electrical properties that are fundamentally different from those in solid-state systems. We have investigated the photovoltaic behaviour of n-InP/metal and n-InP/liquid junctions. We have found that the electrical properties of these semiconductor/liquid junctions are superior to those of n-InP/metal (Schottky barrier) systems, and that the current-voltage characteristics are a strong function of the electrochemical potential of the liquid phase. Liquid contacts thus provide a possibility for the construction of more efficient photovoltaic devices than those available at present from Schottky barriers.
Additional Information
© 1989 Nature Publishing Group. We thank Dr N. Newman, Prof. W. Spicer and Dr S. C. Pyke for supplying some InP samples and for discussions. We also thank B. J. Tufts for performing photoemission experiments. This work was supported in part by the Office of Naval Research. N.S.L. also acknowledges support as a Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar and as an A. P. Sloan Foundation Fellow. This is contribution number 7882 from the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 120973
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20230418-318371000.8
- Office of Naval Research (ONR)
- Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
- Created
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2023-04-24Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2023-04-24Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Other Numbering System Name
- Caltech Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Other Numbering System Identifier
- 7882