Accurate Measurement and Characterization of Organic Solar Cells

Methods to accurately measure the current–voltage characteristics of organic solar cells under standard reporting conditions are presented. Four types of organic test cells and two types of silicon reference cells (unfiltered and with a KG5 color filter) are selected to calculate spectral‐mismatch factors for different test‐cell/reference‐cell combinations. The test devices include both polymer/fullerene‐based bulk‐heterojunction solar cells and small‐molecule‐based heterojunction solar cells. The spectral responsivities of test cells are measured as per American Society for Testing and Materials Standard E1021, and their dependence on light‐bias intensity is reported. The current–voltage curves are measured under 100 mW cm^–2 standard AM 1.5 G (AM: air mass) spectrum (International Electrotechnical Commission 69094‐1) generated from a source set with a reference cell and corrected for spectral error.     

New Family of Ruthenium‐Dye‐ Sensitized Nanocrystalline TiO2 Solar Cells with a High Solar‐Energy‐Conversion Efficiency

A new type of ruthenium complexes 6 – 8 with tridentate bipyridine–pyrazolate ancillary ligands has been synthesized in an attempt to elongate the π‐conjugated system as well as to increase the optical extinction coefficient, possible dye uptake on TiO₂, and photostability. Structural characterization, photophysical studies, and corresponding theoretical approaches have been made to ensure their fundamental basis. As for dye‐sensitized solar cell applications, it was found that 6 – 8 possess a larger dye uptake of 2.4 × 10^–7 mol cm^–2, 1.5 × 10^–7 mol cm^–2, and 1.3 × 10^–7 mol cm^–2, respectively, on TiO₂ than that of the commercial N3 dye (1.1 × 10^–7 mol cm^–2). Compound 8 works as a highly efficient photosensitizer for the dye‐sensitized nanocrystalline TiO₂ solar cell, producing a 5.65 % solar‐light‐to‐electricity conversion efficiency (compare with 6.01 % for N3 in this study), a short‐circuit current density of 15.6 mA cm^–2, an open‐circuit photovoltage of 0.64 V, and a fill factor of 0.57 under standard AM 1.5 irradiation (100 mW cm^–2). These, in combination with its superior thermal and light‐soaking stability, lead to the conclusion that the concomitant tridentate binding properties offered by the bipyridine‐pyrazolate ligand render a more stable complexation, such that extended life spans of DSSCs may be expected.     

Enhanced Photocurrent Spectral Response in Low‐Bandgap Polyfluorene and C70‐Derivative‐Based Solar Cells

Plastic solar cells have been fabricated using a low‐bandgap alternating copolymer of fluorene and a donor–acceptor–donor moiety (APFO‐Green1), blended with 3′‐(3,5‐bis‐trifluoromethylphenyl)‐1′‐(4‐nitrophenyl)pyrazolino[70]fullerene (BTPF70) as electron acceptor. The polymer shows optical absorption in two wavelength ranges, λ < 500 nm and 600 < λ < 1000 nm. The BTPF70 absorbs light at λ < 700 nm. A broad photocurrent spectral response in the wavelength range 300 < λ < 1000 nm is obtained in solar cells. A photocurrent density of 3.4 mA cm^–2, open‐circuit voltage of 0.58 V, and power‐conversion efficiency of 0.7 % are achieved under illumination of AM1.5 (1000 W m^–2) from a solar simulator. Synthesis of BTPF70 is presented. Photoluminescence quenching and electrochemical studies are used to discuss photoinduced charge transfer.     

Polymer Solar Cells Based on a Low‐Bandgap Fluorene Copolymer and a Fullerene Derivative with Photocurrent Extended to 850 nm

Polymer solar cells have been fabricated from a recently synthesized low band‐gap alternating polyfluorene copolymer, APFO‐Green2, combined with [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) from organic solutions. External quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of the solar cells show an onset at 850 nm and a peak of > 10 % located at 650 nm, which corresponds to the extended absorption spectrum of the polymer. Photocurrent of 3.0 mA cm^–2, photovoltage of 0.78 V, and power conversion efficiency of 0.9 % have been achieved in solar cells based on this new low‐bandgap polymer under the illumination of air mass 1.5 (AM 1.5) (1000 W m^–2) from a solar simulator.     

Charge Generation and Photovoltaic Operation of Solid‐State Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells Incorporating a High Extinction Coefficient Indolene‐Based Sensitizer

An investigation of the function of an indolene‐based organic dye, termed D149, incorporated in to solid‐state dye‐sensitized solar cells using 2,2′,7,7′‐tetrakis(N,N‐di‐p‐methoxypheny‐amine)‐9,9′‐spirobifluorene (spiro‐OMeTAD) as the hole transport material is reported. Solar cell performance characteristics are unprecedented under low light levels, with the solar cells delivering up to 70% incident photon‐to‐current efficiency (IPCE) and over 6% power conversion efficiency, as measured under simulated air mass (AM) 1.5 sun light at 1 and 10 mW cm^?2. However, a considerable nonlinearity in the photocurrent as intensities approach “full sun” conditions is observed and the devices deliver up to 4.2% power conversion efficiency under simulated sun light of 100 mW cm^?2. The influence of dye‐loading upon solar cell operation is investigated and the thin films are probed via photoinduced absorption (PIA) spectroscopy, time‐correlated single‐photon counting (TCSPC), and photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) measurements in order to deduce the cause for the non ideal solar cell performance. The data suggest that electron transfer from the photoexcited sensitizer into the TiO₂ is only between 10 to 50% efficient and that ionization of the photo excited dye via hole transfer directly to spiro‐OMeTAD dominates the charge generation process. A persistent dye bleaching signal is also observed, and assigned to a remarkably high density of electrons “trapped” within the dye phase, equivalent to 1.8 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3 under full sun illumination. it is believed that this localized space charge build‐up upon the sensitizer is responsible for the non‐linearity of photocurrent with intensity and nonoptimum solar cell performance under full sun conditions.     

A self‐calibrating led‐based solar test platform

A compact platform for testing solar cells is presented. The light source comprises a multi‐wavelength high‐power LED (light emitting diode) array allowing the homogenous illumination of small laboratory solar cell devices (substrate size 50 × 25 mm) within the 390–940 nm wavelength range. The spectrum can be synthesized by independent tuning of the 18 different wavelengths to mimic AM1.5G as well as various indoor lamp spectra. The intensity can be controlled with a 2¹⁴‐bit accuracy and intensities up to 3 suns are possible with an approximate AM1.5G spectral distribution. For several wavelengths intensities up to 10 suns is possible, and for a few wavelengths up to 30 suns can be reached. The setup is equipped with reference diodes and an optical fibre coupling enabling calibration, monitoring and control of the light impinging on the sample. Through a computer controlled interface, it is possible to perform all the commonly employed measurements on the solar cell at very high speed without moving the sample. In particular, the LED‐based illumination system provides an alternative to light‐biased incident photon‐to‐current efficiency measurement to be performed which we demonstrate. Both top and bottom contact is possible and the atmosphere can be controlled around the sample during measurements. The setup was developed for the field of polymer and organic solar cells with particular emphasis on enabling different laboratories to perform measurements in the same manner and obtain a common basis for comparing data. The use of the platform is demonstrated using a standard P3HT:PCBM polymer solar cell but is generally applicable to any solar cell technology with a spectral response in the 390–950 nm region. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controlling the Morphology of Nanocrystal–Polymer Composites for Solar Cells

We have shown recently that the use of high‐aspect‐ratio inorganic nanorods in conjunction with conjugated polymers is a route to obtaining efficient solar cells processed from solution. Here, we demonstrate that the use of binary solvent mixtures in which one of the components is a ligand for the nanocrystals is effective in controlling the dispersion of nanocrystals in a polymer. By varying the concentration of the solvent mixture, phase separation between the nanocrystal and polymer could be tuned from micrometer scale to nanometer scale. In addition, we can achieve nanocrystal surfaces that are free of surfactant through the use of weak binding ligands that can be removed through heating. When combined, the control of film morphology together with surfactant removal result in nanorod–polymer blend photovoltaic cells with a high external quantum efficiency of 59 % under 0.1 mW cm^–2 illumination at 450 nm.     

GaAs/InGaAsN heterostructures for multi-junction solar cells

Solar-cell heterostructures based on GaAs/InGaAsN materials with an InAs/GaAsN superlattice, grown by molecular beam epitaxy, are studied. A p-GaAs/i-(InAs/GaAsN)/n-GaAs p–i–n test solar cell with a 0.9-μm-thick InGaAsN layer has an open-circuit voltage of 0.4 V (1 sun, AM1.5G) and a quantum efficiency of >0.75 at a wavelength of 940 nm (at zero reflection loss), which corresponds to a short-circuit current of 26.58 mA/cm² (AM1.5G, 100 mW/cm²). The high open-circuit voltage demonstrates that InGaAsN can be used as a material with a band gap of 1 eV in four-cascade solar cells.     

Thin‐film (25.5 μm) solar cells from layer transfer using porous silicon with 32.7 mA/cm2 short‐circuit current density

We fabricate a 25.5‐μm‐thick monocrystalline Si solar cell with a confirmed power conversion efficiency of 15.4% and an area of 3.88 cm² using a layer transfer process with porous Si. The process is free of photolithography and contains no high‐temperature oxidation steps. We investigate three design features that improve the short‐circuit current density to a value of 32.7 mA/cm² under AM1.5 illumination. The detached back reflector contributes 2 mA/cm², a reduced front‐surface reflectance accounts for an additional 2 mA/cm² and a reduced base doping increases the current density by 1 mA/cm². Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Elaboration of P3HT/CNT/PCBM Composites for Organic Photovoltaic Cells

This Full Paper focuses on the preparation of single‐walled or multi‐walled carbon nanotube solutions with regioregular poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and a fullerene derivative 1‐(3‐methoxycarbonyl) propyl‐1‐phenyl[6,6]C₆₁ (PCBM) using a high dissolution and concentration method to exactly control the ratio of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to the P3HT/PCBM mixture and disperse the CNTs homogeneously throughout the matrix. The CNT/P3HT/PCBM composites are deposed using a spin‐coating technique and characterized by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and by atomic force microscopy to underline the structure and the charge transfer between the CNTs and P3HT. The performance of photovoltaic devices obtained using these composites as a photoactive layer mainly show an increase of the short circuit current and a slight decrease of the open circuit voltage which generally leads to an improvement of the solar cell performances to an optimum CNT percentage. The best results are obtained with a P3HT/PCBM (1 : 1) mixture with 0.1 wt % multi‐walled carbon nanotubes with an open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.57 V, a current density at the short‐circuit (I_sc) of 9.3 mA cm^–2 and a fill factor of 38.4 %, which leads to a power conversion efficiency of 2.0 % (irradiance of 100 mW cm^–2 spectroscopically distributed following AM1.5).     

Highly Improved Sb2S3 Sensitized‐Inorganic–Organic Heterojunction Solar Cells and Quantification of Traps by Deep‐Level Transient Spectroscopy

The light‐harvesting Sb₂S₃ surface on mesoporous‐TiO₂ in inorganic–organic heterojunction solar cells is sulfurized with thioacetamide (TA). The photovoltaic performances are compared before and after TA treatment, and the state of the Sb₂S₃ is investigated by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and deep‐level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Although there are no differences in crystallinity and composition, the TA‐treated solar cells exhibit significantly enhanced performance compared to pristine Sb₂S₃‐sensitized solar cells. From DLTS analysis, the performance enhancement is mainly attributed to the extinction of trap sites, which are present at a density of (2–5) × 10¹⁴ cm^?3 in Sb₂S₃, by TA treatment. Through such a simple treatment, the cell records an overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.5% through a metal mask under simulated illumination (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm^–2) with a very high open circuit voltage of 711.0 mV. This PCE is, thus far, the highest reported for fully solid‐state chalcogenide‐sensitized solar cells.     

Efficient Sb2S3‐Sensitized Solar Cells Via Single‐Step Deposition of Sb2S3 Using S/Sb‐Ratio‐Controlled SbCl3‐Thiourea Complex Solution

To replace the conventional chemical bath deposition method, which is time‐consuming and has a high impurity level, a chemical single‐step deposition process employing a S/Sb ratio‐controlled SbCl₃‐thiourea complex solution is introduced to load Sb₂S₃ into a mesoporous TiO₂ electrode. This technique enables the fabrication of efficient and reproducible Sb₂S₃‐sensitzed inorganic–organic heterojunction hybrid solar cells with hole‐conducting conjugated polymers. The most efficient cell exhibits a short‐circuit current density of 16.1 mA cm^?2, an open circuit voltage of 595.5 mV, and a fill factor of 66.5%, yielding a power conversion efficiency of ≈6.4% at standard AM1.5G condition (100 mW cm^?2).     

Effects of Postproduction Treatment on Plastic Solar Cells

Efficiencies of organic solar cells based on an interpenetrating network of a conjugated polymer and a fullerene as donor and acceptor materials still need to be improved for commercial use. We have developed a postproduction treatment that improves the performance of solar cells based on poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]‐phenyl C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) by means of a tempering cycle at elevated temperatures in which an external voltage is simultaneously applied, resulting in a significant increase of the short‐circuit current. Using this postproduction treatment, an enhancement of the short‐circuit current density, I_sc, to 8.5 mA cm^–2 under illumination with white light at an illumination intensity of 800 W m^–2 and an increase in external quantum efficiency (IPCE, incident photon to collected electron efficiency) to 70 % are demonstrated.     

MOVPE grown Ga1−xInxAs solar cells for GaInP/GaInAs tandem applications

Lattice-mismatched Ga_1−xIn_xAs solar cells with an absorption edge between 900 and 1150 nm have been grown on GaAs substrates. Different graded Ga_1−xIn_xAs buffer layers and solar cell structures were evaluated to achieve a good electrical performance of the device. External quantum efficiencies comparable to our best GaAs solar cells were measured. The best 1 cm² cell with a bandgap energy of 1.18 eV has an efficiency of 22.6% at AM1.5g and a short circuit current density of 36.4 mA/cm². To our knowledge, this is the highest reported efficiency for a Ga_0.83In_0.17As solar cell.     

On the interplay of cell thickness and optimum period of silicon thin‐film solar cells: light trapping and plasmonic losses

Light trapping and photon management in honeycomb‐textured microcrystalline silicon solar cells are investigated experimentally and by modeling of the manufacturing process and the optical wave propagation. The solar cells on honeycomb‐textured substrates exhibit short circuit current densities exceeding 30 mA/cm² and energy conversion efficiencies of up to 11.0%. By controlling the fabrication process, the period and height of the honeycomb‐textured substrates are varied. The influence of the honeycomb substrate morphology on the interfaces of the individual solar cell layers and the quantum efficiency is determined. The optical wave propagation is calculated using 3D finite difference time domain simulations. A very good agreement between the optical simulation and experimental results is obtained. Strategies are discussed on how to increase the short circuit current density beyond 30 mA/cm². In particular, the influence of plasmonic losses of the textured silver (Ag) reflector on the short circuit current and quantum efficiency of the solar cell is discussed. Finally, solar cell structures with reduced plasmonic losses are proposed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Schottky solar cells on thin epitaxial silicon

Schottky solar cells fabricated on 10, 20 and 30 μm epitaxial silicon produce a current density ranging from about 10–22 mA/cm², depending on Si thickness and orientation, in close agreement with theoretically predicted data. These results are also in close agreement with recent data on p-n solar cells, using thin epitaxial silicon. Data reported herein predict that 10% efficient Schottky solar cells could be produced using about 20 μ of silicon on a suitable substrate. A 7.6% efficient Schottky solar cell on epitaxial silicon has been recently fabricated and tested using AM1 sunlight (100 mW/cm²).     

Fabrication and analysis of multijunction solar cells with a quantum dot (In)GaAs junction

InAs quantum dots (QDs) have been incorporated to bandgap engineer the (In)GaAs junction of (In)GaAs/Ge double‐junction solar cells and InGaP/(In)GaAs/Ge triple‐junction solar cells on 4‐in. wafers. One sun AM0 current–voltage measurement shows consistent performance across the wafer. Quantum efficiency analysis shows similar aforementioned bandgap performance of baseline and QD solar cells, whereas integrated sub‐band gap current of 10 InAs QD layers shows a gain of 0.20 mA/cm². Comparing QD double‐junction solar cells and QD triple‐junction solar cells to baseline structures shows that the (In)GaAs junction has a V_oc loss of 50 mV and the InGaP 70 mV. Transmission electron microscopy imaging does not reveal defective material and shows a buried QD density of 10¹¹ cm⁻², which is consistent with the density of QDs measured on the surface of a test structure. Although slightly lower in efficiency, the QD solar cells have uniform performance across 4‐in. wafers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transparent conductive oxide‐less three‐dimensional cylindrical dye‐sensitized solar cell fabricated with flexible metal mesh electrode

A cylindrical transparent conductive oxide‐less dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSSC) consisting of glass tube/stainless steel mesh–TiO₂–dye/gel electrolytes/Pt‐Ti rod having capability of self‐light trapping is reported. Replacing the glass tube with heat‐shrinkable tube to reduce electrolyte gap and optical loss due to light transmission and reflection led to the enhancement in the power conversion efficiency from 2.61% to 3.91%. Profiling of the current distribution measured by laser beam‐induced current exhibited nearly the same current in the axial and radial directions, suggesting that light reflection on a cylindrical DSSC does not affect the efficiency seriously. Optimized best DSSC in this novel device architecture gave a short‐circuit current density of 11.94 mA/cm², an open‐circuit voltage of 0.71 V and a fill factor of 0.66 leading to the power conversion efficiency of 5.58% at AM 1.5 under simulated solar irradiation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance Analysis of Printed Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

In this paper we report on printed bulk heterojunction solar cells from poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]‐phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with power efficiencies of over 4 %. Devices have been produced by doctor blading, which is a reel‐to‐reel compatible large‐area coating technique. Devices exhibit a short‐circuit current of over 11.5 mA cm^–2, a fill factor of 58 %, and an open‐circuit voltage of 615 mV, resulting in an AM1.5 power efficiency of over 4.0 % at 25 °C and under 100 mW cm^–2. The mismatch factor of the solar simulator is cross‐calibrated by determining the spectral quantum efficiency of organic devices as well as of a calibrated Si device, and by the combination of outdoor tests; these efficiencies are precise within less than 3 % relative variation. Although the devices are regarded as fairly optimized, analysis in terms of a one‐diode equivalent circuit reveals residual losses and loss mechanisms. Most interestingly, the analysis points out the different properties of spin‐coated versus bladed devices. Based on this analysis, the future efficiency potential of P3HT–PCBM solar cells is analyzed.     

Novel Conjugated Organic Dyes for Efficient Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Novel conjugated organic dyes that have N,N‐dimethylaniline (DMA) moieties as the electron donor and a cyanoacetic acid (CAA) moiety as the electron acceptor were developed for use in dye‐sensitized nanocrystalline‐TiO₂ solar cells (DSSCs). We attained a maximum solar‐energy‐to‐electricity conversion efficiency (η) of 6.8 % under AM 1.5 irradiation (100 mW cm^–2) with a DSSC based on 2‐cyano‐7,7‐bis(4‐dimethylamino‐phenyl)hepta‐2,4,6‐trienoic acid (NKX‐2569): short‐circuit photocurrent density (J_sc) = 12.9 mA cm^–2, open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) = 0.71 V, and fill factor (ff) = 0.74. The high performance of the solar cells indicated that highly efficient electron injection from the excited dyes to the conduction band of TiO₂ occurred. The experimental and calculated Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) absorption spectra clearly showed that these dyes were adsorbed on the TiO₂ surface with the carboxylate coordination form. A molecular‐orbital calculation indicated that the electron distribution moved from the DMA moiety to the CAA moiety by photoexcitation of the dye.