GeSn(0.524 eV)single-junction thermophotovoltaic cells based on the device transport model

Based on the transport equation of the semiconductor device model for 0.524 e V Ge Sn alloy and the experimental parameters of the material,the thermal-electricity conversion performance governed by a Ge Sn diode has been systematically studied in its normal and inverted structures.For the normal p^(+)/n(n^(+)/p)structure,it is demonstrated here that an optimal base doping N_(d(a))=3(7)×10^(18)cm^(-3) is observed,and the superior p^(+)/n structure can achieve a higher performance.To reduce material consumption,an economical active layer can comprise a 100 nm-300 nm emitter and a 3μm-6μm base to attain comparable performance to that for the optimal configuration.Our results offer many useful guidelines for the fabrication of economical Ge Sn thermophotovoltaic devices.