Patent ID: 8883548
Filing Date: 2014-11-11
Classification: H01L,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method for producing a solar cell, comprising: providing a controlled atmospheric annealed single crystal AlSb substrate material by (i) producing a heat treated AlSb crystal by heat treating an AlSb host crystal in a partial vacuum atmosphere at a temperature conducive for air adsorbed molecules to desorb, one or more surface molecule groups to decompose and elemental Sb to evaporate from a surface of the AlSb crystal, (ii) exposing said heat treated AlSb crystal to an atmosphere comprising oxygen to form a crystalline oxide layer on the surface of the AlSb crystal; and (iii) removing areas of said oxide layer from said AlSb host crystal to enable coupling of conductive material contacts or coupling more solid-solution semiconductor materials to said host crystal, wherein said controlled atmospheric annealed single crystal. AlSb substrate material has a substantially uniform resistivity of less than about 10 Ω·cm and is utilized as an active host layer; and coupling one or more solid-solution semiconductor materials with said controlled atmospheric annealed single crystal AlSb active host layer, wherein each of said one or more solid-solution semiconductor materials further comprise a lattice parameter so as to produce a substantially lattice-matched configuration.