UCLA

This thesis presents a new strategy to fabricate nanostructured indium phosphide and cadmium sulfide photovoltaics. The cells are formed by chemical bath deposition (electroless deposition) of cadmium sulfide onto indium phosphide nanopillar arrays grown by selective-area metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Characterizations through electrical and optical measurements show that the devices consisting of p-InP core and CdS shell have a conversion efficiency, open circuit voltage, short circuit current density and fill factor of 4.8%, 0.53 V, 15.8 mA/cm2 and 0.57 respectively. A solution-based junction formation on nanopillars is developed and investigated in search of a quick and low-cost method to harvest solar energy.