Interfacial engineering of CuO nanorod/ZnO nanowire hybrid nanostructure photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cell

Developing efficient and cost-effective photoanode plays a vital role determining the photocurrent and photovoltage in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, we demonstrate DSSCs that achieve relatively high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) by using one-dimensional (1D) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires and copper (II) oxide (CuO) nanorods hybrid nanostructures. CuO nanorod-based thin films were prepared by hydrothermal method and used as a blocking layer on top of the ZnO nanowires’ layer. The use of 1D ZnO nanowire/CuO nanorod hybrid nanostructures led to an exceptionally high photovoltaic performance of DSSCs with a remarkably high open-circuit voltage (0.764 V), short current density (14.76 mA/cm² under AM1.5G conditions), and relatively high solar to power conversion efficiency (6.18%) . The enhancement of the solar to power conversion efficiency can be explained in terms of the lag effect of the interfacial recombination dynamics of CuO nanorod-blocking layer on ZnO nanowires. This work shows more economically feasible method to bring down the cost of the nano-hybrid cells and promises for the growth of other important materials to further enhance the solar to power conversion efficiency.     

Synthesis of self-light-scattering wrinkle structured ZnO photoanode by sol–gel method for dye-sensitized solar cells

A special morphological zinc oxide (ZnO) photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell was fabricated by simple sol–gel drop casting technique. This film shows a wrinkled structure resembling the roots of banyan tree, which acts as an effective self scattering layer for harvesting more visible light and offers an easy transport path for photo-injected electrons. These ZnO electrode of low thickness (~5 μm) gained an enhanced short-circuit current density of 6.15 mA/cm², open-circuit voltage of 0.67 V, fill factor of 0.47 and overall conversion efficiency of 1.97 % under 1 sun illumination. This shows a high conversion efficiency and a superior performance than that of ZnO nanoparticle-based photoanode (η ~ 1.13 %) of high thickness (~8 μm).     

Improved diode properties in zinc telluride thin film-silicon nanowire heterojunctions

In this study, structural and optoelectronic properties and photodedection characteristics of diodes constructed from p-zinc telluride (ZnTe) thin film/n-silicon (Si) nanowire heterojunctions are reported. Dense arrays of vertically aligned Si nanowires were successfully synthesized on (1 1 0)-oriented n-type single crystalline Si wafer using simple and inexpensive metal-assisted etching (MAE) process. Following the nanowire synthesis, p-type ZnTe thin films were deposited onto vertically oriented Si nanowires via radio frequency magnetron sputtering to form three-dimensional heterojunctions. A comparative study of the structural results obtained from X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements showed the improved crystallinity of the ZnTe thin films deposited onto the Si nanowire arrays. The fabricated nanowire-based heterojunction devices exhibited remarkable diode characteristics and enhanced optoelectronic properties and photosensitivity in comparison to the planar reference. The electrical measurements revealed that the diodes with nanowires had a well-defined rectifying behaviour with a rectification ratio of 10⁴ at ±2 V and a relatively small ideality factor of n = 1.8 with lower reverse leakage current and series resistance at room temperature in dark condition. Moreover, an open-circuit voltage of 100 mV was also observed under illumination. Based on spectral photoresponsivity measurements, the nanowire-based device exhibited a distinct responsivity and high detectivity in visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelength regions. The device characteristics observed here offer that the fabricated ZnTe thin film/Si nanowire-based p–n heterojunction structures will find important applications in future and will be a promising candidate for high-performance and low-cost optoelectronic device applications, NIR photodedectors in particular.     

Influence of P<Superscript>+</Superscript>-ZnTe back surface contact on photovoltaic performance of ZnTe based solar cells

In order to improve photovoltaic performance of solar cells based on ZnTe thin films two device structures have been proposed and its photovoltaic parameters have been numerically simulated using Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator software. The first one is the ZnO/CdS/ZnTe conventional structure and the second one is the ZnO/CdS/ZnTe/P⁺-ZnTe structure with a P⁺-ZnTe layer inserted at the back surface of ZnTe active layer to produce a back surface field effect which could reduce back carrier recombination and thus increase the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of cells. The effect of ZnO, CdS and ZnTe layer thicknesses and the P⁺-ZnTe added layer and its thickness have been optimized for producing maximum working parameters such as: open-circuit voltage V_oc, short-circuit current density J_sc, fill factor FF, photovoltaic conversion efficiency η. The solar cell with ZnTe/P⁺-ZnTe junction showed remarkably higher conversion efficiency over the conventional solar cell based on ZnTe layer and the conversion efficiency of the ZnO/CdS/ZnTe/P⁺-ZnTe solar cell was found to be dependent on ZnTe and P⁺-ZnTe layer thicknesses. The optimization of ZnTe, CdS and ZnTe layers and the inserting of P⁺-ZnTe back surface layer results in an enhancement of the energy conversion efficiency since its maximum has increased from 10% for ZnO, CdS and ZnTe layer thicknesses of 0.05, 0.08 and 2 µm, respectively to 13.37% when ZnO, CdS, ZnTe and P⁺-ZnTe layer thicknesses are closed to 0.03, 0.03, 0.5 and 0.1 µm, respectively. Furthermore, the highest calculated output parameters have been J_sc?=?9.35 mA/cm², V_oc?=?1.81 V, η?=?13.37% and FF?=?79.05% achieved with ZnO, CdS, ZnTe, and P⁺-ZnTe layer thicknesses about 0.03, 0.03, 0.5 and 0.1 µm, respectively. Finally, the spectral response in the long-wavelength region for ZnO/CdS/ZnTe solar cells has decreased at the increase of back surface recombination velocity. However, it has exhibited a red shift and showed no dependence of back surface recombination velocity for ZnO/CdS/ZnTe/P?+?-ZnTe solar cells.     

Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations

Graphene-based composites represent a new class of materials with potential for many applications. Graphene can be attached to a metal, a semiconductor, or any polymer for enhancing properties. In this work, a new mixed dispersion approach for graphene-based composite has taken on. Graphene flakes (<4 layers) and a well-known semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO) (<50 nm particle size) have dispersed in N-methyl-pyrrolidone. We deposited graphene/ZnO composite thin film by a simple, low-cost, environmentally friendly and non-vacuum electrohydrodynamic atomization process on silicone substrate. Experiments have been carried out by changing flow rate and applied potential while keeping stand-off distance and substrate velocity constant, to discover the optimum conditions for obtaining a high-quality thin film. It has been explored that high-quality thin composite film is obtained at optimum flow rate of 300 μl/h at 6.3 kV applied potential after curing for 2 h at 300 °C. Graphene/ZnO thin composite film has been characterized using Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Ultra-violet Visible near Infra Red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy and 3D-Nanomap. For electrical behavior analysis, a simple diode Indium tin oxide/(poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/polydioctylfluorene-benzothiadiazole(F8BT)/(Graphene/ZnO) has fabricated. It is observed that at voltage of 0.3 V, the current in organic structure is at low value of 1.20 × 10^?3 Amp/cm² and after that as further voltage was applied, the device current increased by the order of 110 and reaches up to 1.32 × 10^?1 Amp/cm² at voltage 2 V.     

Planar hybrid carbon-decorated zinc oxide nanowires for infrared photodetection

Vapor phase transport (VPT) assisted by thermal evaporation of methanol was utilized to favor the fabrication of hybrid carbon-decorated zinc oxide nanowires (C/ZnO NWs). The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum revealed evidence of optical properties for several defects such as zinc interstitials (Zn_i) and oxygen vacancy (V_o) in hybrid C/ZnO NWs. The PL also exhibited that the planar hybrid C/ZnO NWs photodetector has a wide range of sensitivity from ultraviolet (UV) to infrared (IR). The imaging results show formation of ZnO nanostructures which can be further confirmed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) results. XRD exhibits carbon (C)-related peaks at 12.88, 26, 43, 45, and 55° together with standard ZnO peaks. The incorporation of C shows excellent photoconduction towards varied laser powers (0.0, 7.82, 37.95, 69.20, 100.0, 130.0, and 160.0 mW) of IR illumination. The possibility of current drain in the device was evaluated based on the direct-current (DC) bias voltage of 0.00, 3.33, and 5.55 V. DC bias 3.33 and 5.55 V attributed increase of photocurrent towards the forward bias voltage. However, the reverse bias voltage illustrated a vast increase of photocurrent compared to the forward bias voltage. External quantum efficiency (EQE) at DC bias 5.55 V was 6.5–9.5 range folds greater than the EQE measured for zero bias voltage. Significant photoresponsivity was identical for various laser pulse ranging from 10 to 5000 Hz. Simultaneously, the rise (τ_r) and fall (τ_f) time were measured at 49 and 60.5 μs attributes that the fabrication technique can be improvised and implemented to enhance the efficiency of optoelectronic devices for future applications.     

Low-temperature-processed ZnO thin films as electron transporting layer to achieve stable perovskite solar cells

Morphology and surface property of ZnO thin films as electron transporting layer in perovskite solar cells are crucial for obtaining high-efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. In this work, two different preparation methods of ZnO thin films were carried out and the photovoltaic performances of the subsequent perovskite solar cells were investigated. ZnO thin film prepared by sol–gel method was homogenous but provided high series resistance in solar cells, leading to low short circuit current density. Lower series resistance of solar cell was obtained from homogeneous ZnO thin film from spin-coating of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles (synthesized by hydrolysis–condensation) in a mixture of 1-butanol, chloroform and methanol. The perovskite solar cells using this film achieved the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.79% when poly(3-hexylthiophene) was used as a hole transporting layer. In addition, the stability of perovskite solar cells was also examined by measuring the photovoltaic characteristic for six consecutive weeks with the interval of 2 weeks. It was found that using double layers of the sol–gel ZnO and ZnO nanoparticles provided better stability with no degradation of PCE in 10 weeks. Therefore, this work provides a simple method for preparing homogeneous ZnO thin films in order to achieve stable perovskite solar cells, also for controlling their surface properties which help better understand the characteristics of perovskite solar cells.     

Realization of Ultraviolet Electroluminescence from ZnO Homojunction Fabricated on Silicon Substrate with p-Type ZnO:N Layer Formed by Radical N2O Doping

ZnO homojunction light-emitting diodes are fabricated on Si（100） substrates by plasma assisted metal organic chemical vapour deposition. A p-type layer of nitrogen-doped ZnO film is formed using radical N2O as the acceptor precursor. The n-type ZnO layer is composed of un-doped ZnO film. The device exhibits desirable rectifying behaviour with a turn-on voltage of 3.3 V and a reverse breakdown voltage higher than 6 V. Distinct electrolumineseence emissions centred at 395nm and 490nm are detected from this device at forward current higher than 20mA at room temperature.     

Light Harvesting and Enhanced Performance of Si Quantum Dot/Si Nanowire Heterojunction Solar Cells

Si nanowires (Si NWs) structures with good antireflection and enhanced optical‐absorption properties are used to fabricate Si quantum dots/Si NWs heterojunction solar cells. The Si NWs prepared by the metal‐assisted chemical‐etching technique exhibit a very low reflection in a wide spectral range (300–1200 nm). Correspondingly, the optical absorption reaches as high as 88.9% by weighting AM1.5G solar spectrum. Both the short current density and open current voltage are improved compared to the reference flat cell. However, the photovoltaic properties are degraded by varying the Si NWs with long etching time, possibly due to the increased etching‐induced surface states. The optimal Si NWs lead to the best cell with the power conversion efficiency of 11.3%.     

Effects of deposition temperature on the crystallinity of Ga-doped ZnO thin films on glass substrates prepared by sputtering method

The microstructural characterization of Ga-doped (5 at.%) ZnO thin film was conducted by a transmission electron microscopy study. The atomic arrangement of Ga-doped ZnO having an wurtzite structure was identified by the experimental HRTEM and Fourier filtered images as well as the electron diffractions. As a result, we have revealed that the orientation and defect density of Ga-doped ZnO thin films were greatly influenced by the deposition temperature, resulting in the variation of electrical property. In other words, the tendency forming a c-axis oriented texture grows up and the defects such as dislocations and stacking faults decrease, as the temperature of sputtering deposition increases. Consequently, the electrical properties of Ga-doped ZnO thin films can be controlled by the deposition temperature directly related with the defect density.     

Design and modeling of an efficient metamorphic dual-junction InGaP/GaAs solar cell

In this work the impact of variation in mole fraction of tunnel junction and doping concentration of top window layer are investigated on the photovoltaic performance of dual junction InGaP/GaAs solar cell on silicon substrate. How does the Si substrate help this structure to act as a low cost concentrator cell for terrestrial application is also discussed. The detailed analysis of the cell is carried out through the performance measurement such as external quantum efficiency, internal quantum efficiency, fill factor, open circuit voltage, short circuit current density, spectral density and reflectance. This simulation model provides efficiency of 30.40 % at AM1.5G spectrum under 1 sun. It provides a path to the researcher for the development of III–V multi junction solar cell at a low cost.     

Characteristics of p-type ZnO:As thin films prepared by the ampoule-tube method and ZnO p–n homojunction

A p-type ZnO thin film was prepared using arsenic diffusion via the ampoule-tube method. This was followed by fabrication of a ZnO p–n homojunction using n-type ZnO and characterization of the device properties. The ZnO thin film exhibited p-type characteristics, with a resistivity of 2.19×10⁻³ Ω cm, a carrier concentration of 1.73×10²⁰/cm³, and a mobility of 26.7 cm²/V s. Secondary ion mass spectrometer analysis confirmed that in- and out-diffusion occurred simultaneously from the external As source and the GaAs substrate. The device exhibited the rectification characteristics of a typical p–n junction; the forward voltage at 20 mA was approximately 5.5 V. The reverse-bias leakage current was very low—0.1 mA for −10 V; the breakdown voltage was −11 V. The ampoule-tube method for fabricating p-type ZnO thin films may be useful in producing ultraviolet ZnO LEDs and other ZnO-based devices.     

生长在p-GaAs衬底上的ZnO基异质结二极管电致发光(英文)

利用等离子体辅助分子束外延在p型砷化镓衬底上制备了ZnO异质结发光二极管。实验表明:GaAs与ZnO之间的氧化镁绝缘层能够有效改善器件光电性能,I-V特性的研究表明该器件具有良好的整流特性,开启电压为3 V,电致发光光谱由一个紫外发光峰和一个可见发光带构成,其来源分别为ZnO层中近带边缺陷以及深能级缺陷相关的辐射复合。     

缓冲夹层影响异质结有机光伏器件性能研究

制备了结构为CuPc/缓冲层/C₆₀异质结的有机光伏器件,分别选用三氧化钼和红荧烯为缓冲层,研究了增加缓冲层对器件性能的影响.结果表明,增加三氧化钼和红荧烯缓冲层后器件的开路电压和光电转换效率都得到提高,器件的短路电流密度和填充因子都有所降低.开路电压从没有缓冲层时的0.39 V分别提高到0.58 V、0.55 V,转换效率从0.36%提高到0.44%,短路电流从1.92 mA/cm²分别降低到1.77 mA/cm²、1.81 mA/cm²,填充因子从0.48分别减少到0.43、0.44.进一步研究表明器件的短路电流密度受缓冲层厚度的影响很大,当缓冲层厚度很小时,器件短路电流密度还有所增加,但随着缓冲层厚度的增加,短路电流密度逐渐减小,当缓冲层厚度为10 nm时,器件短路电流密度减少到0.35 mA/cm².开路电压随着厚度的增加逐渐增加,从1 nm时的0.43 V增加10 nm时0.63 V.根据整数电荷转移模型和界面能级理论解释有机光伏器件开路电压提高以及短路电流密度减少的原因,为有机太阳能电池性能的改善提供了研究方法.     

Highly efficient and low turn-on voltage quantum-dot light-emitting diodes using a ZnMgO/ZnO double electron transport layer

A ZnMgO and ZnO double-layered structure was prepared to create a stepwise interfacial electronic structure to improve the electron-injection and electron-transport behaviors in quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). The current density of the electron-only device (EOD) with ZnMgO/ZnO was higher than that of the EOD with only ZnMgO. The detailed QLED interfacial electronic structure was measured using X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. A stepwise interfacial electronic structure for electron injection and electron transport was observed connecting the aluminum cathode to the ZnMgO conduction band minimum (CBM) via the ZnO CBM. The QLEDs with the ZnMgO/ZnO double electron transport layer showed an improved performance, with a maximum luminance and current efficiency of 90,892 cd m⁻² and 19.2 cd A⁻¹, respectively. Moreover, the turn-on voltage of the device was significantly reduced to 2.6 V due to the stepwise interfacial electronic structure between the aluminum cathode and ZnMgO CBM. This research provides a useful method for developing highly efficient and low turn-on voltage QLEDs using a ZnMgO/ZnO double ETL for next-generation display.     

Gallium and indium co‐doped ZnO thin films for white light emitting diodes

Ga and In co‐doped ZnO (GIZO) thin films together with ZnO, In‐doped ZnO (IZO), Ga‐doped ZnO (GZO), and IZO/GZO multilayer for comparison, were grown on corning glass and boron doped Si substrates by PLD. The photoluminescence spectra of GIZO showed a strong white light emission and the current–voltage characteristics showed relatively lower turn‐on voltage and larger forward current. The CIE coordinates for GIZO were observed to be (0.31, 0.33) with a correlated colour temperature of 6650 K, indicating a cool white light, and establishing a possibility of white light emitting diodes. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electrodeposition of zinc oxide/tetrasulfonated copper phthalocyanine hybrid thin film for dye-sensitized solar cell application

Hybrid film of zinc oxide (ZnO) and tetrasulfonated copper phthalocyanine (TSPcCu) was grown on an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass by one-step cathodic electrodeposition from aqueous mixtures of Zn(NO₃)₂, TSPcCu and KCl. The addition of TSPcCu strongly influences the morphology and crystallographic orientation of the ZnO. The nanosheets stack of ZnO leads to a porous surface structure which is advantageous to further adsorb organic dyes. The photovoltaic properties were investigated by assembling the DSSC device based on both the only ZnO film and the ZnO/TSPcCu hybrid films. Photoelectrochemical analysis revealed that the optimized DSSC device with TSPcCu represented a more than three-fold improvement in power conversion efficiency than the device without TSPcCu. The DSSC based on ZnO/TSPcCu hybrid films demonstrates an open circuit voltage of 0.308 V, a short circuit current of 90 μA cm⁻², a fill factor of 0.26, and a power conversion efficiency of 0.14%.     

Giant temperature coefficient of resistance in Co-doped ZnO thin films

A novel high-performance thermistor material based on Co-doped ZnO thin films is presented. The films were deposited by the pulsed laser deposition technique on Si (111) single-crystal substrates. The structural and electronic transport properties were correlated as a function of parameters such as substrate temperature and Co-doped content for Zn_1?x Co _x O (x=0.005,0.05,0.10 and 0.15) to prepare these films. The Zn_1?x Co _x O films were deposited at various substrate temperatures between 20 and 280 °C. A value of 20 %/K for the negative temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) with a wide range near room temperature was obtained. It was found that both TCR vs. temperature behavior and TCR value were strongly affected by cobalt doping level and substrate temperature. In addition, a maximal TCR value of over 20 %?K^?1 having a resistivity value of 3.6 Ω?cm was observed in a Zn_0.9Co_0.1O film near 260 °C, which was deposited at 120 °C and shown to be amorphous by X-ray diffraction. The result proved that the optimal Co concentration could help us to achieve giant TCR in Co-doped ZnO films. Meanwhile, the resistivities of the films ranged from 0.4 to 270 Ω?cm. A Co-doped ZnO/Si film is a strong candidate of thermometric materials for non-cooling and high-performance bolometric applications.     

Plasma-assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition of AlN thin films on ZnO buffer layer: toward highly c-axis-oriented,uniform, insulative films

c-Axis-oriented aluminum nitride (AlN) thin film with improved quality was deposited on Si(111) substrate using ZnO buffer layer by plasma-assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The optical and electrical properties and surface morphology as well as elemental composition of the AlN films deposited with and without ZnO buffer layer were investigated using a host of measurement techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and current–voltage (I–V) characteristic measurement. The XRD and XPS results reveal that the AlN/ZnO/Si films are free of metallic Al particles. Also, cross-sectional FESEM observations suggest formation of a well-aligned, uniform, continuous, and highly (002) oriented structure for a bi-layered AlN film when Si(111) is covered with ZnO buffer. Moreover, a decrease in full width at half maximum of the E₂ (high)-mode peak in Raman spectrum indicates a better crystallinity for the AlN films formed on ZnO/Si substrate. Finally, I–V curves obtained indicate that the electrical behavior of the AlN thin films switches from conductive to insulative when film is grown on a ZnO-buffered Si substrate.     

Solution epitaxy of gallium-doped ZnO on p-GaN for heterojunction light-emitting diodes

We report white light emission from a Ga-doped ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction light-emitting diode which was fabricated by growing gallium-doped ZnO film on the p-GaN in water at 90°C. As determined from Ga-doped ZnO films grown on (111) oriented MgAl₂O₄ spinel single crystal substrates, thermal treatment at 600°C in nitrogen ambient leads to a carrier concentration of 3.1×10²⁰ cm⁻³ (and carrier mobility of 28 cm²/Vs) which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of the undoped films. Electroluminescence emissions at wavelengths of 393 nm (3.155 eV) and 529.5 nm (2.4 eV) were observed under forward bias in the heterojunction diode and white light could be visibly observed. The high concentration of electrons supplied from the Ga-doped ZnO films helped to enhance the carrier recombination and increase the light-emitting efficiency of the heterojunction diode.