Epitaxial semiconductors involving III-V compounds, germanium, and silicon provide the highest performance levels in optoelectronic applications such as in solar cells and photoelectrochemical cells [1-3]. However, highest performance in solar energy conversion can only be achieved, when using optimum absorber layers and sophisticated contact formation for electronic and chemical passivation, i.e. for the protection of the solid-liquid interface against corrosion as well as preventing interfacial non-radiative recombination. In order to address the surface and interface properties of III-V semiconductor layer structures in relation to their performance, we present the synthesis, theoretical modelling and properties of critical and well-defined interfaces such as GaInP/AlInP. Here, lattice matched n-type AlInP(100) charge selective contacts are commonly grown on n-p GaInP(100) top absorbers in highest-efficiency III–V multijunction solar or photoelectrochemical cells, where the cell performance can be greatly limited by missing electron selectivity and detrimental valance band offsets. Hence, understanding of the atomic and electronic properties of the GaInP/AlInP heterointerface, for instance, is crucial for the reduction of photocurrent losses in III–V multijunction devices [4]. We discuss the essential considerations on the properties of critical interfaces in relation to photoelectrochemical cells from a conceptual and from a theoretical modeling point of view assuming mostly idealized surface conditions. We also address latest progress on the important III-V/Si interface, modifications by fine-tuning of the preparation and describe experimental model experiments on the surface reactivity of III-phosphide surfaces to H₂O exposure. These different surface science approaches are then related to photoelectrochemical cells for H₂ evolution and CO₂ reduction using different III-V based tandem cells and providing highest conversion yields.

References

[1] M.M. May, H.-J. Lewerenz, D. Lackner, F. Dimroth, T. Hannappel, Nature Communications 6 (2015) 8256;
[2] W.-H. Cheng, M.H. Richter, M. M. May, J. Ohlmann, D. Lackner, F. Dimroth, T. Hannappel, H.A. Atwater, H.-J. Lewerenz; Monolithic Photoelectrochemical Device for Direct Water Splitting with 19% Efficiency, ACS Energy Letters 3 (2018) 1795
[3] W.H. Cheng, M.H. Richter, R. Müller, M. Kelzenberg, S. Yalamanchili, P.R. Jahelka, A.N. Perry, P.C. Wu, R. Saive, F. Dimroth, B.S. Brunschwig, T. Hannappel, H.A. Atwater,  Advanced Energy Materials 12 (36) (2022) 2201062

[4] O. Romanyuk, A. Paszuk, I. Gordeev, R.G. Wilks, S. Ueda, C. Hartmann, R. Felix, M. Bär, C. Schlueter, A. Gloskovskii, I. Bartoš, M. Nandy, J. Houdková, P. Jiříček, W. Jaegermann, J.P. Hofmann, T. Hannappel;

Applied Surface Science 605 (2022) 154630