Effiziente und erneuerbare Wasserstofferzeugung ist eine der entscheidenden Herausforderungen für eine von fossilen Brennstoffen unabhängige Gesellschaft. Tandem-Absorber-Strukturen, die auf verdünnt Stickstoff-haltigem GaPN/Si(100) basieren, sind vielversprechend für die Wasserstoffproduktion mittels direkter solarer Wasserspaltung. Ihre Herstellung mittels metallorganischer Gasphasenepitaxie (MOVPE) ist anspruchsvoll, insbesondere bezüglich gezielter Präparation der Grenzflächen. Wegen der geringen Gitterfehlanpassung eignen sich pseudomorphe GaP/Si(100) Strukturen als Quasisubstrate für weitere Integration anderer III-V Halbleiter. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die atomare Ordnung von Si(100) und GaP(N)/Si(100) Oberflächen, sowie der vergrabenen GaP/Si(100) Heterogrenzfläche in situ mit Reflexions-Anisotropie-Spektroskopie (RAS) untersucht. RAS Ergebnisse werden dabei mit Ergebnissen komplementärer Methoden der Oberflächenanalytik im Ultrahochvakuum (UHV) verglichen, beispielsweise mit niederenergetischer Elektronenbeugung (LEED) und Röntgenphotoelektronenspektroskopie (XPS). Die Präparation nahezu eindomäniger, dimerisierter Si(100) Oberflächen gelingt erfolgreich in MOVPE Atmosphäre mit Hintergrundverunreinigungen von (Ga, P) und kann in situ mit RAS kontrolliert werden. Die Untergitterorientierung des GaP Films kann dabei über (i) die Dimerorientierung des Si Substrats, (ii) das (Ga,P) chemische Potential während der Nukleation und (iii) über Modifikation der Si-Oberfläche mit As gesteuert werden. Aus der Korrelation zeitaufgelöster RAS- und XPS-Messungen sowie Dichtefunktionaltheorie-Rechnungen kann unter typischen Prozessbedingungen auf die kinetisch limitierte Bildung einer Si-P Grenzfläche geschlossen werden. Im Anschluss an eine nur wenige Atomlagen dicke GaP Nukleationsschicht können Antiphasen-Unordnungs-freie GaPN/Si(100) Oberflächen präpariert werden. Diese rekonstruieren analog zu GaP/Si(100) Oberflächen, wenn überschüssiger N vermieden wird. / Renewable and efficient generation of hydrogen is one of the key challenges towards a society being independent from fossil fuels. Tandem absorber structures based on dilute nitride GaPN/Si(100) are promising candidates regarding hydrogen evolution by direct solar water splitting. Their production by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is challenging, particularly regarding specific preparation of the interfaces. Due to the small lattice mismatch, GaP/Si(100) structures are suitable as quasisubstrates for further integration of III-V semiconductors. In the present work, the atomic order of Si(100) and GaP(N)/Si(100) surfaces, as well as of the buried GaP/Si(100) heterointerface is studied in situ with reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS). RAS results are benchmarked to results from complementary surface science techniques in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), such as low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Preparation of almost single-domain dimerized Si(100) surfaces succeeds in MOVPE ambient containing (Ga, P) background residuals and can be controlled in situ with RAS. The sublattice orientation of the GaP films can thereby be selected (i) via the dimer orientation on the Si substrate, (ii) via the (Ga,P) chemical potential during nucleation, or (iii) via modification of the Si surface with As. Correlating time-resolved RAS and XPS measurements as well as density functional theory calculations, for typical process conditions it can be concluded on a kinetically limited formation of a Si-P interface. Subsequent to a GaP nucleation layer, which is only few atomic layers thick, GaPN/Si(100) surfaces free of antiphase disorder can be prepared. These reconstruct in analogy to GaP/Si(100) surfaces if excess N is avoided.

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Achieving high efficiency solar cells and concurrently driving down the cell cost has been among the key objectives for photovoltaic researchers to attain a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE). While the performance of silicon (Si) based solar cells have almost saturated at an efficiency of ~25%, III-V compound semiconductor based solar cells have steadily shown performance improvement at approximately 1% (absolute) increase per year, with a recent record efficiency of 46%. However, the expensive cost has made it challenging for the high efficiency III-V solar cells to compete with the mainstream Si technology. Novel approaches to lower down the cost per watt for III-V solar cells will position them to be among the key contenders in the renewable energy sector. Integration of such high-efficiency III-V multijunction solar cells on significantly cheaper and large area Si substrate has the potential to address the future LCOE roadmaps by unifying the high-efficiency merits of III-V materials with low-cost and abundance of Si. However, the 4% lattice mismatch, thermal mismatch polar-on-nonpolar epitaxy makes the direct growth of GaAs on Si challenging, rendering the metamorphic cell sensitive to dislocations. The focus of this dissertation is to systematically investigate heterogeneously integrated III-V multijunction solar cells on Si substrate. Utilizing a combination of comprehensive solar cell modeling and experimental techniques, we seek to better understand the material properties and correlate them to improve the device performance, with simulation providing a very valuable feedback loop. Key technical design considerations and optimal performance projections are discussed for integrating metamorphic III-V multijunction solar cells on Si substrates for 1-sun and concentrated photovoltaics. Key factors limiting the “GaAs-on-Si” cell performance are identified, and novel approaches focused on minimizing threading dislocation density are discussed. Finally, we discuss a novel epitaxial growth path utilizing high-quality and thin epitaxial Ge layers directly grown on Si substrate to create virtual “Ge-on-Si” substrate for III-V-on-Si multijunction photovoltaics. With the plummeting price of Si solar cells accompanied with the tremendous headroom available for improving the III-V solar cell efficiencies, the future prospects for successful integration of III-V solar cell technology with Si substrate looks very promising to unlock an era of next generation of high-efficiency and low-cost photovoltaics. / Ph. D.

No description available.

La croissance continue et rapide du trafic de données dans les infrastructures de télécommunications, impose des niveaux de débit de transmission ainsi que de puissance de traitement de l’information, que les capacités intrinsèques des systèmes et microcircuits électroniques ne seront plus en mesure d’assurer à brève échéance : le développement de nouveaux scenarii technologiques s’avère indispensable pour répondre à la demande de bande passante imposée notamment par la révolution de l’internet, tout en préservant une consommation énergétique raisonnable. Dans ce contexte, l’intégration hétérogène fonctionnelle sur silicium de dispositifs photoniques à émission par la surface de type VCSEL utilisant des miroirs large-bandes ultra-compacts à cristaux photoniques constitue une stratégie prometteuse pour surmonter l’impasse technologique actuelle, tout en ouvrant la voie à un développement rapide d’architectures et de systèmes de communications innovants dans le cadre du mariage entre photonique et micro-nano-électronique. / The ever-growing demand for high-volume fast data transmission and processing is nowadays rapidly attaining the intrinsic limit of microelectronic circuits to offer high modulation bandwidth at reasonable power dissipation. Silicon photonics is set to break the technological deadlock aiming at a functional photonics-on-CMOS integration for innovative optoelectronic systems paving the way towards next-era communication architectures. Among the others photonic building blocks such as photodiodes, optical modulators and couplers, power-efficient compact semiconductors sources in the near-infrared telecommunication bands, characterized by performing modal features as well as thermal resiliency constitute an essential landmark to be achieved. Within such context, InP-based long-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) using one-dimensional Si/SiO2 photonic crystals as wideband compact mirrors are proposed as next generation emitters for CMOS integration.