Field effect and charge injection in hybrid nanorod heterostructure

Recent studies on organic/inorganic heterostructures have indicated that interface morphology plays an important role in determining the charge transport properties. Hybrid heterostructure light-emitting diodes mixing donor and acceptor semiconductors appear to offer the best opportunity in achieving superior performance and there are indications that a network of percolated heterojunctions can be very effective in promoting light absorption/emission. Charge transport however can be more complex in a nanorod heterostructure as the charge flow at the interface will depend on the injection mechanism(s) as well as the interface field strength. In this work, we examined the current density–voltage characteristics of the hybrid NPB (N, N′-di(napth-2-yl)-N-N′-diphenylbenzidine)–ZnO nanorod heterostructure and attempted to identify the transport mechanism(s) close to the tips of the nanorods. Our study indicated that charge flow essentially followed the conventional pattern changing from a linear regime (emission-limited) to a quadratic regime (space-charge limited) and possibly to a rapid rise in current (trap-free injection). Detailed evaluation of the changes in the reported conductivity data further suggested the conduction mechanism (up to a p-layer thickness of 400 nm) was dominated by space-charge limited current in the NPB layer, which also resulted in substantial charge pile-up near the tips of the nanorods. An interface charge layer responsible for the barrier height modification effect could be used to explain the observed “blue-shift” in the emission spectra of the nanorod heterostructure light-emitting diode as reported by Sun et al. [2].     

Investigation of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin-film solar cells with carrier concentration gradient

To investigate the effect of carrier concentration gradient on Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) thin-film solar cells, the properties of CZTS solar cells were studied by numerical method. The photovoltaic performances of carrier concentration gradient CZTS solar cells were calculated by the solutions of Poisson's equation, continuity equation, and current density equation using AFors-Het v2.4 program. The carrier concentration gradient was changed to analyze its effect. Compared with CZTS solar cells without carrier concentration gradient, the photovoltaic performances of CZTS solar cells can be enhanced by using carrier concentration gradient absorber. The carrier concentration gradient can extend the distribution region of built-in electric field, which is beneficial to the drift of photo-generated carriers. However, the carrier concentration gradient also affects the recombination and series resistances of solar cells. When the defect density of CZTS layer is high, the photo-generated carriers are affected significantly by recombination, resulting in slight effect of carrier concentration gradient. Therefore, the defect density should be reduced to enhance the effect of carrier concentration gradient on improving conversion efficiency of CZTS thin-film solar cells.     

Two different effects of Na on Cu2ZnSnS4 thin-film solar cells

Among the many factors that affect the characteristics of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ thin-film solar cells, the effects of Na were examined. Because Na passivates the grain boundaries (GBs) in absorber layers, the GBs increase the minority carrier collection by providing a current pathway through which the minority carriers can reach the buffer and window layer and be collected. However, excess Na remains in the absorber layer and diffuses into the buffer and window layers, where it acts as an impurity and traps the minority carriers, thus decreasing the solar cell characteristics. By applying an annealing process after the deposition of the buffer and window layers, the Na content could be decreased. By improving the solar cell characteristics, a power conversion efficiency of 6.43% was achieved.     

二维GaTe/Bi2Se3异质结：一类有潜力的Z型光解水催化剂

本文基于第一性原理方法,计算了二维GaTe/Bi₂Se₃异质结的电子结构、界面电荷转移、静电势分布、吸收光谱及光催化性质. 计算结果表明异质结是一个小能隙的准直接半导体,能有效捕获太阳光. 由于相对较强的界面內建极化电场和带边轻微弯曲,导致异质结中的光生电子和空穴分别有效分离在GaTe单层和Bi₂Se₃薄片上,可用于析氢和产氧. 这些理论计算结果意味着二维GaTe/Bi₂Se₃异质结是一类有潜力的Z型太阳能全解水催化剂.     

Al2O3增强的Co2-C98/Al2O3/Si异质结的光伏效应

随着能源危机的加剧,太阳能电池作为开发和利用太阳能的一种普遍形式, 日益受到世界各国的重视.随着太阳能电池向着高效率、薄膜化、无毒性和原材料丰富的方向发展, 单纯的硅系太阳能电池已经无法达到这样的要求,因此新的材料和工艺的开发利用迫在眉睫. 本文研究了碳材料在硅异质节上实现光伏效应的改善及其可能在太阳能电池上的应用. 采用脉冲激光沉积方法制备的Co₂-C₉₈/Al₂O₃/Si异质结构在标准日光照射 (AM1.5, 100 mW/cm²)条件下,可获得0.447 V的开路电压和18.75 mA/cm²的电流密度, 转换效率可达3.27%.通过电容电压特性和暗条件下的电输运性能测量, 证明了氧化铝层的引入不但对单晶硅的表面起到了物理钝化作用,减小了反向漏电流, 使异质结界面缺陷、界面能级和复合中心减少,还起到了场效应钝化作用, 增加了异质结界面的势垒高度,增加了开路电压,使异质结的光伏效应显著增强.     

Modeling and simulation of experimentally fabricated QDSSC using ZnS as light absorbing and blocking layer

Abstract—Two main factors which limit the power conversion efficiency of solar cells are light absorption and recombination processes. In photovoltaic (PV) devices, low energy photons cannot be absorbed and excite electrons from valance band to conduction band, hence do not contribute to the current. On the other hand, high energy photons cannot be efficiently used due to a poor match to the energy gap. Existence of charge recombination in PV devices causes the low conversion performance, which is indicated by the low open-circuit voltage (V _OC ). Using a blocking layer in system could effectively reduce the recombination of charge carriers. In this study, we simulated a solar cell with ITO/ZnO/P3HT&PCBM/Ag structure. To prevent the charge recombination, a ZnS QD layer was used which acts as a light absorbing and a recombination blocking layer in the ITO/ZnO film/ZnS QD/P3HT&PCBM/Ag structure. The simulated J–V characteristics of solar cells showed a close match with the experimental results. Simulate data showed an increase of conversion efficiency in ZnS QDSSC from 1.71 to 3.10%, which is relatively 81.28% increase.     

Efficient design of perovskite solar cell using mixed halide and copper oxide

Solar cells based on perovskites have emerged as a transpiring technology in the field of photovoltaic. These cells exhibit high power conversion efficiency. The perovskite material is observed to have good absorption in the entire visible spectrum which can be well illustrated by the quantum efficiency curve. In this paper, theoretical analysis has been done through device simulation for designing solar cell based on mixed halide perovskite. Various parameters have efficacy on the solar cell efficiency such as defect density, layer thickness, doping concentration, band offsets, etc. The use of copper oxide as the hole transport material has been analyzed. The analysis divulges that due to its mobility of charge carriers, it can be used as an alternative to spiro-OMeTAD. With the help of simulations, reasonable materials have been employed for the optimal design of solar cell based on perovskite material. With the integration of copper oxide into the solar cell structure, the results obtained are competent enough. The simulations have shown that with the use of copper oxide as hole transport material with mixed halide perovskite as absorber, the power conversion efficiency has improved by 6%.The open circuit voltage has shown an increase of 0.09 V, short circuit current density has increased by 2.32 m A/cm~2, and improvement in fill factor is 8.75%.     

Experimental analysis and modeling of the IV characteristics of photovoltaic solar cells under solar spectrum spot illumination

In this paper, some models that have been put forward to explain the characteristics of a photovoltaic solar cell device under solar spot-illumination are investigated. In the experimental procedure, small areas of the cell were selected and illuminated at different solar intensities. The solar cell open circuit voltage (V_oc) and short circuit current (I_sc) obtained at different illumination intensities was used to determine the solar cell ideality factor. By varying the illuminated area on the solar cell, changes in the ideality factor were studied. The ideality factor obtained increases with decreasing illumination surface ratio. The photo-generated current at the illuminated part of the cell is assumed to act as a dc source that injects charge carriers into the p-n junction of the whole solar cell while the dark region of the solar cell operates in a low space charge recombination regime with small diffusion currents. From this analysis, a different model of a spot illuminated cell that uses the variation of ideality factor with the illuminated area is proposed.     

Efficient implementation of multiple drive-in steps in thermal diffusion of phosphorus for PERC solar cells

N-type phosphorus diffusion in silicon using phosphorus oxychloride, POCl₃, has been widely used in the production of p-type silicon solar cells. The thermal diffusion process in a furnace generally involves two steps: pre-deposition and drive-in. The phosphorous doping by thermal diffusion often shows high surface concentrations, leading to an increase in charge recombination, which should be inhibited in order to fabricate high efficiency silicon solar cells. In this study, we investigate the influence of 3 drive-in steps at sequentially increasing temperatures during the POCl₃ diffusion on the emitter performance. As a result, it was found that the kink region was made shorter while maintaining surface concentration for a good metal contact without losing its passivation quality. This result is attributed to the higher active dopant concentration of the 3 drive-in step samples, leading to a lower series resistance and higher fill factor in the PERC solar cells. The results show that slight changes in the PSG process conditions can contribute to the improvement of high efficiency solar cells.     

色散效应对聚光多结太阳电池性能的影响及优化

针对色散效应导致聚光多结太阳电池性能降低的问题,使用分布式三维等效电路模型计算高倍聚光下GaInP/GaInAs/Ge三结太阳电池的输出特性,通过分析电池各层的电压分布、暗电流分布以及横向电流分布,研究了不同电池尺寸下色散效应对电池性能影响的机理.结果表明:色散使多结太阳电池在局部区域的光生电流变得不匹配,随着电池尺寸的减小,局部区域之间失配的光生电流能够以横向电流的形式相互补偿,使电池整体的电流更加匹配,从而减小色散效应的影响.当电池芯片尺寸较大(20 mm×20 mm)时,色散主要降低电池的短路电流密度,色散光斑下电池的效率仅相当于无色散时的94%;当电池芯片尺寸减小到2 mm×2 mm时,短路电流密度与无色散时相等,但横向电阻降低了电池的填充因子.当电池芯片尺寸进一步减小到0.4 mm×0.4 mm时,色散与无色散光斑下电池的各项性能几乎没有差别,效率均约为34.5%,色散效应的影响可忽略不计.     

Field injection of low-energy electrons into the ZnSe/CdSe/ZnSe heterostructure with the use of an ultra-high-vacuum tunneling microscope

The field emission injection of low-energy electrons (E _e ?? 10 eV) into the ZnSe/CdSe/ZnSe heterostructure has been considered. The probe of the ultra-high-vacuum tunneling microscope has been used as a field emitter. It has been shown that the energy of injected electrons is sufficient for impact ionization in ZnSe. The impact ionization creates a high concentration of nonequilibrium carriers in the near-surface ZnSe layer. The transport of nonequilibrium carriers in the heterostructure under study has been simulated. The electric field of the near-surface space charge and surface recombination have been taken into account. The calculation has demonstrated that filling the active region of CdSe with nonequilibrium carriers is highly efficient.     

基于分布式布拉格反射器结构的空间三结砷化镓太阳能电池抗辐照研究

根据电子辐照条件下的常规三结砷化镓太阳能电池光谱响应以及电池电流的损伤特征, 确定电池衰减的物理机理: 中电池在电子辐照后形成的辐照损伤缺陷, 使得基区少子扩散长度被大幅缩短, 影响了光生载流子的收集. 针对中电池衰减的物理机理, 设计不同的基区厚度, 验证辐照后扩散长度缩短至1.5 μm左右. 为提升中电池抗辐照性能, 消除辐照后扩散长度缩减带来的影响, 对中电池外延结构进行设计, 将中电池基区减薄至1.5 μm, 并在其下方嵌入分布式布拉格反射器, 对特定波段光反射进行二次吸收, 弥补中电池减薄的影响. 通过TFCalc光学模系设计软件模拟出的中心波长为850 nm, 15对Al_0.9Ga_0.1As/Al_0.1Ga_0.9As的分布式布拉格反射器, 实际测试最高反射率大于97%, 高反带宽94 nm, 能够满足设计要求. 此基础上进行了新结构电池的外延生长与辐照测试对比. 实验结果表明: 新结构太阳能电池辐照后短路电流衰减比原结构降低了50%, 效率的剩余因子提升2.3%.     

不同厚度的活性层及阴极的改变对聚合物太阳电池性能的影响

以MEH-PPV(poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexoxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene))为电子给体材料, PCBM(1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-1-phenyl-(6,6)C₆₁)为电子受体材料, 制成了共混体系太阳电池.研究了不同厚度活性层对太阳电池性能的影响.结果表明, 活性层厚度为100 nm时,太阳电池具有最佳性能.活性层厚度的增加,增大了光生电荷的复合,减少了太阳电池的填充因子,从而减少了太阳电 关键词： 太阳电池 厚度 电极 性能     

Computational screening of vdWs heterostructures of BSe with MoSe2 and WSe2 as sustainable hydrogen production materials

Recently, fabricating type-II vertical van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructure is a promising material for hydrogen production. The absorption capability, charge density distributions, band alignments and electronic properties of the monolayers and heterostructures are systematically investigated using computational studies. Using ab initio molecular dynamics, binding energy and phonon calculations, the stability of the heterostructures are verified. Both heterostructures are type-II materials, which can increase the separation of charge carriers. Moreover, the charge density difference and the potential drop across the interface of MSe₂/BSe creates a high built-in electric field that can prevent the recombination of charge carriers. We found that the visible-light optical properties of both heterostructures are much enhanced with suitable bandgap energy for water splitting. The band alignment suggests that the heterostructures straddle water redox potentials in acid solutions (0 < pH < 7). Our study predicted that MSe₂/BSe vdW heterostructures have great potential for photocatalytic hydrogen production.     

Investigation of barrier tunneling characteristics of symmetrical double quantum well in In0.25Ga0.75As/GaAs/In0.25Ga0.75As heterostructure

The optical and electrophysical properties of the GaAs/In_0.25Ga_0.75As heterostructure with a symmetric double quantum well have been investigated. The influence of tunneling electrons and holes through an internal barrier of the quantum well on the shift and splitting of the quantum levels is analyzed. The theoretical estimates are compared with the results of the photoluminescence and photoconductivity measurements. The Hall measurements indicate that the barrier strongly affects the mobility of charge carriers.     

平面异质结有机-无机杂化钙钛矿太阳电池研究进展

高效低成本太阳电池的研发是太阳能光伏技术大规模推广应用的关键. 近年来兴起的有机- 无机杂化钙钛矿(以下简称钙钛矿)太阳电池因具有光电能量转换效率高、制备工艺简单等优点, 引起了学术界和产业界的广泛关注, 具有广阔的发展前景. 其中平面异质结钙钛矿太阳电池因具有结构简单, 可低温制备等诸多优点, 成为目前研究的一个重要方向. 平面异质结钙钛矿太阳电池分为n-i-p型和p-i-n型两种结构. 其中钙钛矿分别与电子传输层和空穴传输层形成两个界面, 在这两个界面上实现电子和空穴的快速分离. 电子传输层和空穴传输层分别为电子和空穴提供了独立的输运通道. 平面异质结结构有利于钙钛矿太阳电池中电子和空穴的分离、传输和收集. 此外, 该结构不需要高温烧结的多孔结构氧化物骨架, 扩大了电子和空穴传输材料的选择范围. 可以根据钙钛矿材料的能带分布及载流子传输特性, 来选择能级和载流子传输速率更为匹配的传输材料. 本文对钙钛矿的材料特性, 平面异质结结构的由来及发展进行了简要的概述. 其中重点介绍了平面异质结钙钛矿太阳电池的结构特征、工作机理、钙钛矿/电荷传输层的界面特性, 以及电池性能的优化, 包括钙钛矿薄膜制备、空穴和电子传输层的优化等. 最后对钙钛矿电池的发展前景及存在问题进行了阐述, 为今后高效、稳定钙钛矿太阳电池的研究提供参考.     

提高微晶硅薄膜太阳电池效率的研究

采用甚高频等离子体增强化学气相沉积技术制备了系列微晶硅薄膜太阳电池，指出了气体总流量和背反射电极的类型对电池性能参数的影响.电池的I-V测试结果表明：随反应气体总流量的增加，对应电池的短路电流密度、开路电压和填充因子都有很大程度的提高，结果使得电池的光电转换效率得以提高.另外，ZnO/Ag/Al背反射电极能明显提高电池的短路电流密度，进而也提高了电池的光电转换效率.对气体总流量和背反射电极类型影响电池效率的原因进行了分析. 关键词： 微晶硅薄膜太阳电池 气体流量 ZnO/Ag/Al背反射电极     

Determination of electron-diffusion length from photocurrent characteristics of the structure ITO/a-SiC:H(p-type)/a-Si:H/a-Si:H(n-type)/Pd

In this study the electron diffusion length L _n is determined from the relative spectral response of the photocurrent characteristics of the p/i/n sandwich structure ITO/a-SiC:H(p-type)/a-Si:H/a-Si:H(n-type)/Pd. The techniques used for the preparation of the a-Sic:H and a-Si:H amorphous films were glow-discharge and rf magnetron sputtering, respectively. The thickness of the p-type, intrinsic and n-type layer were 400 Å, 7000 Å and 600 Å, respectively. The response of the short-circuit current density J _sc was measured versus the photon energy hv at both constant light intensity and constant temperature. The electron diffusion length was found to be 0.31 m by means of the method of Agarwala and Tewary. Although, in the case of single crystals many diffusion length measurements have been made, there are only few papers for amorphous silicon this films [1]. As it is well-known, the diffusion length of the charge carriers is the most important parameter from the point of view of solar cell applications [2]. In order to obtain a high efficiency in a solar cell all carriers created under illumination in the intrinsic layer should reach the electrodes [3]. In the case that the thickness of the intrinsic layer is much larger than the diffusion length, not all carriers can reach the electrodes and, accordingly, a low efficiency results [4]. On the other hand, carriers which reach the electrodes without thermalizing do not contribute to the photocurrent and finally the efficiency of the solar cell is negatively affected. In order to avoid such an effect to a large extent, the thickness of the amorphous layers in a p/i/n solar cell must be conveniently chosen compared to the diffusion length of the carriers.Here it is aimed to determine the electron diffusion length. In order to achieve this goal, the photocurrent characteristics of an ITO/a-SiC:H(p-type)/a-Si:H/a-Si:H(n-type)/Pd structure was measured versus the photon energy at constant light intensity and constant temperature. In order to determine the electron diffusion length, the method of Agarwala and Tewary [5] was utilized.     

Investigation of Interfacial Charge Separation at PbS QDs/(001) TiO2 Nanosheets Heterojunction Solar Cell

In the recent years, the heterojunction solar cells based on quantum dots (QDs) have attracted attention due to strong light absorbing characteristics and the size effect on the bandgap tuning. This paper reports on the kinetics of interfacial charge separation of PbS QDs/(001) TiO₂ nanosheets heterojunction solar cells. PbS QDs are deposited using a bifunctional linker molecule on two different TiO₂ films, i.e., TiO₂ nanosheets (with 001 dominant exposed facet) and TiO₂ nanoparticles (with 101 dominant exposed facet). Upon bandgap excitation, electrons are transferred from the PbS QDs conduction band to the lower lying conduction band of TiO₂. Based on the ultrafast pump‐probe laser spectroscopy technique, the kinetics of charge separation is scrutinized at the PbS/TiO₂ interface. The interfacial charge separation at PbS/TiO₂ nanosheets films made of (001) dominant exposed facets is five times faster than that on (101) dominant exposed facets TiO₂ nanoparticles. The quantum yields for charge injection are higher for the (001) TiO₂ nanosheets than the (101) TiO₂ nanoparticles due to enhanced interfacial interaction with (001) surface compared to the (101) nanoparticles. The superior interfacial charge separation at PbS/(001) nanosheets respect to PbS/(101) nanoparticles is consistent with the higher photocurrent and enhanced power conversion efficiency in the PbS QDs/(001) TiO₂ heterojunction solar cell. The use of (001) TiO₂ nanosheets can be a better alternative to conventional mesoporous TiO₂ films in QD heterojunction solar cells and perovskites‐based heterojunction solar cells.     

Ferroelectric Ba0.75Sr0.25TiO3 tunable charge transfer in perovskite devices

Interfacial charge recombination is a main issue causing the efficiency loss of the perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, ferroelectric Ba_0.75Sr_0.25TiO₃ (BST) is introduced as a polarization tunable layer to promote the interfacial charge transfer of the PSCs. The coexistence of ferroelectric polarization and charge carriers in BST is confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Experimental characterization demonstrates the polarization reversal and the existence of domain in BST film. The BST film conductivity is tested as 2.98×10^-4 S/cm, which is comparable to the TiO₂ being used as the electron transporting layer (ETL) in PSCs. The calculations results prove that BST can be introduced into the PSCs and the interfacial charge transfer can be tuned by ferroelectric polarization. Thus, we fabricated the BST-based PSCs with a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.05% after poling.