Ultra-thin III-V photovoltaics for space power applications

近年来，由于对通信、导航、精确定时和卫星图像的需求不断增加，空间工业迅速发展。大多数卫星都由III-V族光电转换器提供动力，这种光电转换器具有很高的太阳能转换效率，比硅光电转换器更能经受住太空中恶劣的辐射环境。超薄（<200 nm）III-V族光电转换器是一种新兴的器件概念，可提高W/kg，同时还可实现全新的完全灵活的卫星外形。该技术具有固有的辐射耐受性，能够在极地地球轨道和木星探索等具有挑战性的太空环境中执行扩展任务。为了在超薄半导体膜中完全吸收入射太阳照射，需要先进的光管理方法，诸如使用亚波长纳米光子散射结构来将光耦合到横向传播模式中。通过这种方式，可以制造出光学厚但电薄的器件。该项目涉及半导体器件的设计和实际制造。技术将包括晶片键合、化学蚀刻和光刻（照片、电子束和纳米压印）。

The space industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, driven by increasing demand for communications, navigation, precision timing and satellite imagery. Most satellites are powered by III-V photovoltaics which have high solar energy conversion efficiency and are better able to survive the harsh radiation environments in space than their silicon counterparts.Ultra-thin (<200 nm) III-V photovoltaics are an emerging device concept, to increase W/kg while also enabling new fully flexible satellite form factors. This technology offers intrinsic radiation tolerance, to enable extended missions in challenging space environments such as polar earth orbits and Jovian exploration. In order to fully absorb incident solar illumination in an ultra-thin semiconductor film, advanced light management approaches are required such as the use of sub-wavelength nanophotonic scattering structures to couple light into laterally propagating modes. In this way, a device which is optically thick but electrically thin can be fabricated.This project involves the design and hands-on fabrication of semiconductor devices. Techniques will include wafer bonding, chemical etching and lithography (photo-, e-beam and nanoimprint).