Dye-sensitized Schottky barrier solar cells

Patent · 01 January 1978

OSTI ID:863150

Skotheim, Terje A ^[1]

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1. Berkeley, CA

A low-cost dye-sensitized Schottky barrier solar cell comprised of a substrate of semiconductor with an ohmic contact on one face, a sensitizing dye adsorbed onto the opposite face of the semiconductor, a transparent thin-film layer of a reducing agent over the dye, and a thin-film layer of metal over the reducing agent. The ohmic contact and metal layer constitute electrodes for connection to an external circuit and one or the other or both are made transparent to permit light to penetrate to the dye and be absorbed therein for generating electric current. The semiconductor material chosen to be the substrate is one having a wide bandgap and which therefore is transparent; the dye selected is one having a ground state within the bandgap of the semiconductor to generate carriers in the semiconductor, and a first excited state above the conduction band edge of the semiconductor to readily conduct electrons from the dye to the semiconductor; the reducing agent selected is one having a ground state above the ground state of the sensitizer to provide a plentiful source of electrons to the dye during current generation and thereby enhance the generation; and the metal for the thin-film layer of metal is selected to have a Fermi level in the vicinity of or above the ground state of the reducing agent to thereby amply supply electrons to the reducing agent.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States Government as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4105470
• OSTI ID: 863150
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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absorbed
absorbed therein
adsorbed
agent
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amply
band
band edge
bandgap
barrier
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carriers
cell
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cells
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comprised
conduct
conduction
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current
dye
dye adsorbed
dye selected
dye-sensitized
dye-sensitized schottky
edge
electric
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electrodes
electrons
enhance
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external
external circuit
fermi
fermi level
film layer
generate
generating
generating electric
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ground
layer
level
light
low-cost
low-cost dye-sensitized
material
material chosen
metal
metal layer
ohmic
ohmic contact
opposite
penetrate
permit
plentiful
provide
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reducing
reducing agent
schottky
schottky barrier
selected
semiconductor
semiconductor material
sensitizer
sensitizing
sensitizing dye
solar
solar cell
solar cells
source
substrate
supply
therein
thin-film
thin-film layer
transparent
transparent thin-film
vicinity
wide
wide band
wide bandgap