Photovoltaic devices incorporating chalcogenide thin films electrically interposed between pnictide-containing absorber and emitter layers

摘要

The present invention provides a strategy for improving the quality of the insulating layer in MIS and SIS devices where the insulating layer interacts with at least one pnictide-containing film. The principles of the present invention are at least partially due to the discovery that very thin (20 nm or less) insulating films including chalcogenides such as i-ZnS are surprisingly superior tunnel barriers in MIS and SIS devices incorporating pnictide semiconductors. Based. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a semiconductor region including at least one pnictide semiconductor and an insulating region electrically connected to the semiconductor region, the region including at least one chalcogenide within a range of 0.5 nm to 20 nm. The present invention relates to a photovoltaic device comprising an insulating region having a thickness, and a rectifying region electrically connected to the semiconductor region such that the insulating region is electrically interposed between the current collector region and the semiconductor region . [Selection] Figure 1