Aluminum Indium Nitride (AlInN) alloys offer great potential for photovoltaic devices thanks to their wide direct bandgap energy that covers the solar spectrum from 0.7 eV (InN) to 6.2 eV (AlN), and their superior resistance to high temperatures and high-energy particles. In this paper, we report the design of AlInN on silicon heterojunctions, with the aim to explore their potential for solar cell devices through the analysis and optimization of the properties of the AlInN on Si heterojunction. In particular, we study the influence of the AlInN bandgap energy, AlInN thickness and carrier concentration, silicon surface recombination, interface defects and Si wafer quality on the photovoltaic properties (conversion efficiency and external quantum efficiency) of the AlInN on Si heterojunctions. The effect of introducing an anti-reflective coating is also studied. Optimized AlInN on Si heterostructure shows a conversion efficiency of 18% under 1-sun AM1.5G illumination for low-quality Si wafers, which increases to 23.6% for high-quality Si wafers and incorporating a properly designed anti-reflective layer. In comparison with standard Si solar cells without AlInN, the external quantum efficient of the devices increases for wavelengths below 500 nm, making them appealing for space applications. These results lead to the AlInN on Si heterojunction a promising future as a novel technology for solar cell devices.

中文翻译：

---

太阳能器件溅射生长硅异质结上AlInN的设计

氮化铝铟 (AlInN) 合金具有广泛的直接带隙能量，涵盖从 0.7 eV (InN) 到 6.2 eV (AlN) 的太阳光谱，并且对高温和高能粒子具有出色的耐受性，因此为光伏器件提供了巨大的潜力. 在本文中，我们报告了硅异质结上 AlInN 的设计，旨在通过分析和优化硅异质结上的 AlInN 性能来探索其在太阳能电池器件中的潜力。特别是，我们研究了 AlInN 带隙能量、AlInN 厚度和载流子浓度、硅表面复合、界面缺陷和 Si 晶片质量对 AlInN 对 Si 异质结的光伏性能（转换效率和外量子效率）的影响。还研究了引入抗反射涂层的效果。在 Si 异质结构上优化的 AlInN 在 1-sun AM1.5G 照明下对于低质量 Si 晶片显示出 18% 的转换效率，对于高质量 Si 晶片增加到 23.6%，并结合了适当设计的抗反射层。与没有 AlInN 的标准硅太阳能电池相比，器件的外部量子效率在波长低于 500 nm 时增加，使其对空间应用具有吸引力。这些结果使 Si 异质结上的 AlInN 作为太阳能电池器件的新技术具有广阔的前景。6% 用于高质量硅晶片并包含适当设计的抗反射层。与没有 AlInN 的标准硅太阳能电池相比，器件的外部量子效率在波长低于 500 nm 时增加，使其对空间应用具有吸引力。这些结果使 Si 异质结上的 AlInN 作为太阳能电池器件的新技术具有广阔的前景。6% 用于高质量硅晶片并包含适当设计的抗反射层。与没有 AlInN 的标准硅太阳能电池相比，器件的外部量子效率在波长低于 500 nm 时增加，使其对空间应用具有吸引力。这些结果使 Si 异质结上的 AlInN 作为太阳能电池器件的新技术具有广阔的前景。