Atom Probe Tomography of Compound Semiconductors for Photovoltaic and Light-Emitting Device Applications

Abstract

Compound semiconductors belong to the most important materials for optoelectronic applications. Many of them exhibit favorable optical properties, such as a direct energy band gap (in contrast to silicon) and high-absorption coefficients over a wide spectral range. Moreover, varying the composition of the compound or substituting some of its elements often allows for controlled band gap engineering and optimization for specific applications. Because many compound semiconductors enable efficient conversion of light into electricity and vice versa, they are commonly used materials for optoelectronic devices.