The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells
Abstract
We study the effects of modifying indium tin oxide electrodes with ultrathin titania (TiO2) layers grown via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). We find an optimal thickness of PE-ALD-grown titania by tracking performance, which initially increases, peaks, and eventually decreases with increasing TiO2 thickness. We use scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) to measure both the local work function and its distribution as a function of TiO2 thickness. We find that the variance in contact potential difference across the surface of the film is related to either the amorphous or anatase TiO2 form. Finally, we use local SKPM recombination rate experiments, supported by bulk transient photovoltage and charge extraction measurements. Here, we show that the optimum TiO2 thickness is the one for which the carrier lifetime is the longest and the charge carrier density is the highest, when the TiO2 is amorphous, in agreement with the device measurements.
- Authors:
-
[1];
- Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
- Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Mechanical Engineering
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1468780
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1241567
- Grant/Contract Number:
- EE0004946
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 108; Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 25 ENERGY STORAGE; 14 SOLAR ENERGY
Citation Formats
Moerman, David, Kim, Hyungchul, Colbert, Adam E., Graham, Samuel, and Ginger, David S. The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.4944049.
Moerman, David, Kim, Hyungchul, Colbert, Adam E., Graham, Samuel, & Ginger, David S. The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4944049
Moerman, David, Kim, Hyungchul, Colbert, Adam E., Graham, Samuel, and Ginger, David S. Tue .
"The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4944049. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1468780.
@article{osti_1468780,
title = {The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells},
author = {Moerman, David and Kim, Hyungchul and Colbert, Adam E. and Graham, Samuel and Ginger, David S.},
abstractNote = {We study the effects of modifying indium tin oxide electrodes with ultrathin titania (TiO2) layers grown via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). We find an optimal thickness of PE-ALD-grown titania by tracking performance, which initially increases, peaks, and eventually decreases with increasing TiO2 thickness. We use scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) to measure both the local work function and its distribution as a function of TiO2 thickness. We find that the variance in contact potential difference across the surface of the film is related to either the amorphous or anatase TiO2 form. Finally, we use local SKPM recombination rate experiments, supported by bulk transient photovoltage and charge extraction measurements. Here, we show that the optimum TiO2 thickness is the one for which the carrier lifetime is the longest and the charge carrier density is the highest, when the TiO2 is amorphous, in agreement with the device measurements.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4944049},
journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
number = 11,
volume = 108,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Tue Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
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