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Title: 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:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
  2. 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:
Journal Article: 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. 2016. "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},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1468780}, journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
issn = {0003-6951},
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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Cited by: 9 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Indium phosphide based solar cell using ultra-thin ZnO as an electron selective layer
journal, August 2018


Artifacts in time-resolved Kelvin probe force microscopy
journal, January 2018


Artifacts in time-resolved Kelvin probe force microscopy
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