Funding Opportunity: SuNLaMP
SunShot Subprogram: Photovoltaics
Location: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO
SunShot Award Amount: $125,000

Low-cost III-V cells will result in a breakthrough in photovoltaic (PV) market by enabling a lower levelized cost of energy. The project will develop low-cost substrates to template the growth of gallium arsenide (GaAs).

APPROACH

The project will use single crystals of 2D materials as sources for low-cost 2D templates for the epitaxy of III-V semiconductors. The focus of this project will be on developing transfer techniques that reliably and repeatedly transfer a single “slab” to a low-cost substrate and characterization of the resulting film.  This is a key step toward dramatically lowering costs by replacing the expensive single 3D crystal substrates typically used for growth.

INNOVATION

Successful demonstration of repeatable exfoliation is expected to result in significant cost savings, as it is expected to be faster and cheaper with the potential to eliminate the need for substrate re-polishing between cycles. Cost modeling will determine the potential financial benefit in comparison to present approaches.