Photocathode for hydrogen generation using 3C-SiC epilayer grown on vicinal off-angle 4H-SiC substrate

摘要

We employed a 3C-SiC epilayer grown on a vicinal off-angle 4H-SiC substrate as a photocathode. The presence of 3C-SiC on the surface of this epilayer was confirmed by optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Spectral responses of the photocathode show high quantum efficiencies in a wide wavelength range. By illuminating the photocathode with full-spectrum solar light of 1.1 W/cm~2, the photocurrent was determined to be -13.5mA/cm~2 with a Ni counterelectrode. The generated hydrogen volumes were much larger than those reported previously for SiC photocathodes.