Silicon-Germanium Alloys for Photovoltaic Applications

Silicon-Germanium Alloys for Photovoltaic Applications provides a comprehensive look at the use of Silicon-Germanium alloys Si1-xGex in photovoltaics. Different methods of Si1-xGex alloy deposition are reviewed, including their optical and material properties as function of Ge% are summarized, with SiGe use in photovoltaic applications analyzed. Fabrication and characterization of single junction Si1-xGex solar cells on Si using a-Si as emitter is discussed, with a focus on the effect of different Ge%. Further, the book highlights the use Si1-xGex as a template for lattice matched deposition of III-V layers on Si, along with its challenges and benefits, including financial aspects. Finally, fabrication and characterization of single junction GaAsxP1-x cells on Si via Si1-xGex is discussed, along with the simulation and modeling of graded SiGe layers and experimental model verification. - Includes a summary of SiGe alloys material properties relevant for solar research, all compiled at one place - Presents various simulation models and analysis of SiGe material properties on solar cell performance - Includes a cost-analysis for III-V/Si solar cells via SiGe alloys

Professor Ammar Nayfeh was born in Urbana IL in 1979. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign in 2001 in electrical engineering and his master's degree in 2003 from Stanford University. Dr. Nayfeh earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 2006. His research focused on heteroepitaxy of germanium on silicon for electronic and photonic devices. After his PhD, he joined Advanced Micro Devices as a researcher working in collaboration with IBM. After that he joined a silicon valley startup company, Innovative Silicon (ISi) in 2008. In addition, he was a part time professor at San Jose State University. In June 2010, he joined MIT as a visiting scholar and became a faculty member at the Masdar Institute currently Khalifa University. His research interest focuses on nanotechnology for future more efficient low power electronic and photonic devices. Professor Nayfeh is currently an associate professor in the Department Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at Khalifa University. Professor Ammar Nayfeh has authored or co-authored over 100 publications, and holds three patents. He is a member of IEEE, MRS and Stanford Alumni Association. He has received the Material Research Society Graduate Student Award, the Robert C. Maclinche Scholarship at UIUC, and Stanford Graduate Fellowship.