SOME CANDIDATE MATERIALS FOR LATTICE-MATCHED LIQUID-PHASE EPITAXIAL-GROWTH ON SILICON

The literature has been surveyed to identify semiconductors which could be grown as lattice-matched layers on silicon substrates, with an emphasis on liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE). Applications are discussed for multi-junction solar cells and as window layers on silicon solar cells. The following pseudo-binary solid solutions (alloys) have been investigated: boron-III-V, I-III-VI2, II-VI, II-VI/III-V, II-IV-V2 and II-IV-V2/III-V. BxGa1-xP. The latter was considered to be the most promising candidate because its major constituent, GaP, has already been grown on silicon by LPE from a suitable solvent (tin) and because only 2.2% of the gallium atoms need to be replaced by boron in order to match the lattice spacing of silicon.