Effect of Transparent Electrode on the Performance of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells
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Effect of transparent electrode on the performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells A. A. Damitha T. Adikaari1*, Joe Briscoe2, Steve Dunn3, J. David Carey1 and S. Ravi P. Silva1 1
Nanoelectronics Centre, Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2
7XH, UK. 2
Nanotechnology Centre, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK.
3
Materials Department, School of Engineering and Materials, Queen Mary, University of
London, E1 4NS, UK. *Corresponding author email:[email protected] ABSTRACT We present a performance comparison of polythiophene/fullerene derivative bulk heterojunction solar cells fabricated on fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) and indium tin oxide (ITO) in the presence and absence of the commonly used poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole extraction layer. From a potential commercial perspective the performance of cheaper and more readily available FTO compares well with the more expensive ITO in terms of measured device efficiency (FTO:2.8 % and ITO:3.1%). The devices show similar fill factors (FTO:63% and ITO:64%) with the same open circuit voltage of 0.6 V. The short circuit current density is lower for FTO devices at 7.5 mA/cm2 which compares with 8.0 mA/cm2 for ITO; a behaviour that is mainly attributed to the reduced optical transmission of the FTO layer. Importantly, these devices were part fabricated and wholly characterized under atmospheric conditions. The quoted device performance is the best reported for FTO based bulk heterojunction systems in the absence of the highly acidic PEDOT:PSS hole extraction layer, which is believed to degrade conductive oxides. INTRODUCTION Renewable energy is one of the key routes to minimize the adverse effects of carbon emission from energy conversion. The conversion of the sun’s radiation to electricity by photovoltaics (PVs) offers one of the most credible alternatives for renewable energy needs provided the efficiency of the PVs can be increased while decreasing the cost. Silicon based PVs dominate 90% of the commercial market,[1] however the technology remains too expensive for mass uptake. Organic material-based PVs are cheaper and not as-energy intensive in terms of the production process. Furthermore, the possibility of facile device fabrication from solution makes the technology very attractive from a potential commercial perspective. However, the efficiencies and lifetimes of organic PV devices are inferior to their conventional inorganic semiconductor counterparts and are too low for commercial viability at present. Interpenetrating charge donor-acceptor networks formed from a phase-segregated mixture of two semiconducting organic materials are considered to be the best architecture for fabrication of organic PVs to date[2, 3]. These interpenetrating networks are now known as bulkheterojunction active layers. Bulk heterojunction PV devices fabricated have shown steady
progress over the years [4-6], in terms of device efficiency, reaching a maximum of 7.73% in 2009 for a s
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