Materials World Network: Quantum Semiconductor Structures for High-Efficiency Photovoltaics

本计画主要针对应用于高效率光生伏打元件之砷化镓/镓铟砷/镓铟奈砷量子井与量子点p-i-n异质结构材料之合成、制程与特性研究。 外延异质结界面质量的优化和控制形成的自组装量子点结构的分子束外延的基本问题进行了探讨的背景下，光伏器件，但具有广泛的材料和设备的影响。 此外，量子阱/点和相关的光伏器件的概念的基本物理和性能潜力进行检查，并作为一个驱动程序的探索特定的材料问题。 金属和介电纳米结构与半导体异质结构的集成，这是预计使在工程中的光子传播行为在半导体异质结构的关键进展，也进行了研究。 最终，预计该项目所实现的材料物理学的进步将大大有助于开发高效的量子阱和量子点太阳能电池，理论上预测这些太阳能电池的功率转换效率远远超过使用更传统的太阳能电池技术所能达到的效率。 这项工作需要加州大学圣地亚哥分校（UCSD）和德国卡尔斯鲁厄大学的研究人员之间的国际合作。 卡尔斯鲁厄的研究人员由丹尼尔Schaadt博士领导，专注于外延材料生长和优化，而UCSD的研究人员则专注于材料加工，表征，并最终纳入光伏器件结构。这个材料世界网络项目使美国和德国的研究人员之间的合作，预计将提供宝贵的经验，研究生和博士后研究人员在不同的文化和科学环境，并帮助种子未来的国际合作和快速增长的研究和商业活动之间的连接太阳能和固态纳米结构一般。 在这方面，德国是一个特别合适的伙伴，因为它对太阳能技术作出了坚定的承诺并在这方面开展了活动。 该项目所产生的材料进步可能带来的高效太阳能转换的技术和经济影响可能是巨大的。 此外，该项目利用设施和专业知识与各机构的主要研究中心？加州大学圣地亚哥分校的加州电信和信息技术研究所（CalIT 2）和卡尔斯鲁厄的DFG功能纳米结构中心（CFN）。 访问卡尔斯鲁厄的UCSD研究人员受益于材料合成和表征的广泛设施，以及CFN对电子，光子学和生物学纳米结构材料的广泛研究。 来自卡尔斯鲁厄访问UCSD的研究人员接触到广泛的多学科研究环境，该环境涉及电信和信息技术的基本材料，设备和系统问题，并将受益于CalIT 2最先进的实验材料加工和纳米加工设施。

This project is directed toward the synthesis, processing, and characterization of GaAs/GaInAs/GaInNAs quantum-well and quantum-dot p-i-n heterostructure materials for application in high-efficiency photovoltaic devices. Fundamental issues in optimization of epitaxial heterojunction interface quality and controlled formation of self-assembled quantum dot structures by molecular-beam epitaxy are explored in the context of photovoltaic devices but with broad-ranging material and device implications. In addition, the basic physics and performance potential of quantum-well/dot and related photovoltaic device concepts is examined and employed as a driver for exploration of specific materials issues. Integration of metal and dielectric nanostructures with semiconductor heterostructures, which is expected to enable key advances in engineering of photon propagation behavior in semiconductor heterostructures, is also investigated. Ultimately, it is anticipated that the advances in materials physics enabled by the project will contribute substantially to the development of highly efficient quantum-well and quantum-dot based solar cells, which have been predicted theoretically to enable power conversion efficiencies well in excess of those attainable using more conventional solar cell technologies. This work entails an international collaborative effort between researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany. Researchers at Karlsruhe, led by Dr. Daniel Schaadt, focus on epitaxial material growth and optimization, while UCSD researchers focus on materials processing, characterization, and eventual incorporation into photovoltaic device structures. This Materials World Network project enables collaboration between researchers in the Unites States and Germany that is expected to provide invaluable experience for graduate student and postdoctoral researchers in different cultural and scientific environments, and to help seed future international collaborations and connections between rapidly growing research and commercial activities in solar energy and solid-state nanostructures generally. Germany is a particularly appropriate partner in this regard, in light of its strong commitment to and activity in solar energy technologies. The technological and economic impact of high-efficiency solar energy conversion that could be enabled by the materials advances emerging from this project is potentially dramatic. In addition, the project makes use of facilities and expertise associated with major research centers at each institution ? the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CalIT2) at UCSD and the DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures (CFN) at Karlsruhe. UCSD researchers visiting Karlsruhe benefit from the availability of extensive facilities for materials synthesis and characterization, and from exposure to the broad range of research at CFN on nanostructured materials for electronics, photonics, and biology. Researchers from Karlsruhe visiting UCSD gain exposure to the broad, multidisciplinary research environment that engages issues in basic materials, devices, and systems for telecommunications and information technology, and will benefit from the availability of state-of-the-art experimental materials processing and nanofabrication facilities at CalIT2.