Dynamic Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy Enables Low-Cost, High-Performance Solar Cells and Other Semiconductors Devices
Established in 1963, the R&D 100 Awards is the only S&T (science and technology) awards competition that recognizes new commercial products, technologies and materials for their technological significance that are available for sale or license. The R&D 100 Awards have long been a benchmark of excellence for industry sectors as diverse as telecommunications, high-energy physics, software, manufacturing, and biotechnology. This 2021 R&D 100 winner is listed below, along with its respective category.
Category: Process/Prototyping
Developers: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
United States
Product Description:III-V semiconductors are the best available for many telecommunications, energy and electronics applications. But high costs and low production volumes have long constrained this technology. For example, III-V solar cell manufacturing is measured in kilowatts/year (compared to gigawatts/year for silicon solar cells). The dynamic hydride vapor phase epitaxy (D-HVPE) process removes key barriers to the mass production of III-V semiconductors. Like many great inventions, D-HVPE is the result of re-envisioning a persistent problem as an opportunity. In the 1960s, HVPE was one of the first processes used to grow III-V semiconductors, but it was mostly abandoned because of its fast — and, therefore, difficult-to-control — growth. The D-HVPE team at National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Developers: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
United States
Product Description:III-V semiconductors are the best available for many telecommunications, energy and electronics applications. But high costs and low production volumes have long constrained this technology. For example, III-V solar cell manufacturing is measured in kilowatts/year (compared to gigawatts/year for silicon solar cells). The dynamic hydride vapor phase epitaxy (D-HVPE) process removes key barriers to the mass production of III-V semiconductors. Like many great inventions, D-HVPE is the result of re-envisioning a persistent problem as an opportunity. In the 1960s, HVPE was one of the first processes used to grow III-V semiconductors, but it was mostly abandoned because of its fast — and, therefore, difficult-to-control — growth. The D-HVPE team at National Renewable Energy Laboratory
A Dynamic Hydride Vapor Phase Expitaxy Reactor (lab-scale)