Application of ZnGa2O4:Mn Down-Conversion Layer to Increase the Energy-Conversion Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells

The perovskite solar cell is capable of energy conversion in a wide range of wavelengths, from 300 nm to 800 nm, which includes the entire visible region and portions of the ultraviolet and infrared regions. To increase light transmittance of perovskite solar cells and reduce manufacturing cost of perovskite solar cells, soda-lime glass and transparent conducting oxides, such as indium tin oxide and fluorine-doped tin oxide are mainly used as substrates and light-transmitting electrodes, respectively. However, it is evident from the transmittance of soda-lime glass and transparent conductive oxides measured via UV-Vis spectrometry that they absorb all light near and below 310 nm. In this study, a transparent Mn-doped ZnGa2O4 film was fabricated on the incident surface of perovskite solar cells to obtain additional light energy by down-converting 300 nm UV light to 510 nm visible light. We confirmed the improvement of power efficiency by applying a ZnGa2O4:Mn down-conversion layer to perovskite solar cells.

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Characteristics of Perovskite Solar Cells with ZnGa2O4:Mn Phosphor Mixed Polyvinylidene Fluoride Down-Conversion Layer

Journal of Nanoelectronics and Optoelectronics ◽

10.1166/jno.2021.3013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 855-860

Author(s):

Ji Yong Hwang ◽

II Tae Kim ◽

Hyung Wook Choi

Keyword(s):

Solar Cell ◽

Tin Oxide ◽

Indium Tin Oxide ◽

Polyvinylidene Fluoride ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Soda Lime ◽

Perovskite Solar Cell ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Soda Lime Glass ◽

Down Conversion

To reduce the manufacturing cost of perovskite solar cells, soda-lime glass and transparent conducting oxides such as indium tin oxide and fluorine-doped tin oxide are the most widely used substrates and lighttransmitting electrodes. However, the transmittance spectra of soda-lime glass, indium tin oxide, and fluorinedoped tin oxide show that all light near and below 330 nm is absorbed; thus, with the use of these substrates, light energy near and below 330 nm cannot reach the perovskite light-absorbing layer. It is expected that the overall solar cell can be improved if the wavelength can be adjusted to reach the perovskite solar cell absorbing layer through down-conversion of energy in the optical wavelength band. In this study, a polyvinylidene fluoride transparent film mixed with a ZnGa2O4:Mn phosphor was applied to the incident side of the perovskite solar cell with the intent to increase the light conversion efficiency without changing the internal bandgap energy and structure. By adding a phosphor layer to the external surface of PSC exposed to incident light, the efficiency of the cell was increased by the down-conversion of ultraviolet light (290 nm) to the visible region (509 nm) while maintaining the transmittance. To manufacture the perovskite solar cell, a TiO2-based mesoporous electron transport layer was spin-coated onto the substrate. The perovskite layer used in this experiment was CH3NH3PbI3 and was fabricated on a TiO2 layer. Spiro-OMeTAD solution was spin-coated as a hole-transport layer.

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Preparation of Fluoride-Doped Tin Oxide Films on Soda–Lime Glass Substrates by Atomized Spray Pyrolysis Technique and Their Subsequent Use in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C ◽

10.1021/jp411354b ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 118 (30) ◽

pp. 16479-16485 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

G. R. Asoka Kumara ◽

C. S. Kumara Ranasinghe ◽

E. Nirmada Jayaweera ◽

H. M. Navaratne Bandara ◽

Masayuki Okuya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Tin Oxide ◽

Spray Pyrolysis Technique ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Soda Lime ◽

Soda Lime Glass ◽

Glass Substrates ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Tin Oxide Films

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The Main Progress of Perovskite Solar Cells in 2020–2021

Nano-Micro Letters ◽

10.1007/s40820-021-00672-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tianhao Wu ◽

Zhenzhen Qin ◽

Yanbo Wang ◽

Yongzhen Wu ◽

Wei Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Lead Free ◽

Manufacturing Cost ◽

Practical Application ◽

The World ◽

Photovoltaic Technology

AbstractPerovskite solar cells (PSCs) emerging as a promising photovoltaic technology with high efficiency and low manufacturing cost have attracted the attention from all over the world. Both the efficiency and stability of PSCs have increased steadily in recent years, and the research on reducing lead leakage and developing eco-friendly lead-free perovskites pushes forward the commercialization of PSCs step by step. This review summarizes the main progress of PSCs in 2020 and 2021 from the aspects of efficiency, stability, perovskite-based tandem devices, and lead-free PSCs. Moreover, a brief discussion on the development of PSC modules and its challenges toward practical application is provided.

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A general approach to high-efficiency perovskite solar cells by any antisolvent

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-22049-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alexander D. Taylor ◽

Qing Sun ◽

Katelyn P. Goetz ◽

Qingzhi An ◽

Tim Schramm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Precursor Solution ◽

Microstructural Characterization ◽

Application Rate ◽

Perovskite Layer ◽

Highly Efficient ◽

Application Procedure ◽

Wide Range

AbstractDeposition of perovskite films by antisolvent engineering is a highly common method employed in perovskite photovoltaics research. Herein, we report on a general method that allows for the fabrication of highly efficient perovskite solar cells by any antisolvent via manipulation of the antisolvent application rate. Through detailed structural, compositional, and microstructural characterization of perovskite layers fabricated by 14 different antisolvents, we identify two key factors that influence the quality of the perovskite layer: the solubility of the organic precursors in the antisolvent and its miscibility with the host solvent(s) of the perovskite precursor solution, which combine to produce rate-dependent behavior during the antisolvent application step. Leveraging this, we produce devices with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) that exceed 21% using a wide range of antisolvents. Moreover, we demonstrate that employing the optimal antisolvent application procedure allows for highly efficient solar cells to be fabricated from a broad range of precursor stoichiometries.

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Analysis of Cu(InGa)Se2 Alloy Film Optical Properties and the Effect of Cu Off-Stoichiometry

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-865-f1.4 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 865 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. D. Paulson ◽

S. H. Stephens ◽

W. N. Shafarman

Keyword(s):

Optical Constants ◽

Soda Lime ◽

Alloy Film ◽

Relative Volume ◽

Soda Lime Glass ◽

Distinctive Features ◽

Glass Substrates ◽

Wide Range ◽

Two Phases

AbstractVariable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry has been used to characterize Cu(InGa)Se2 thin films as a function of relative Ga content and to study the effects of Cu off-stoichiometry. Uniform Cu(InGa)Se2 films were deposited on Mo-coated soda lime glass substrates by elemental evaporation with a wide range of relative Cu and Ga concentrations. Optical constants of Cu(InGa)Se2 were determined over the energy range of 0.75–C4.6 eV for films with 0 ≤ Ga/(In+Ga) ≤ 1 and used to determine electronic transition energies. Further, the changes in the optical constants and electronic transitions as a function of Cu off-stoichiometry were determined in Cu-In-Ga-Se films with Cu atomic concentration varying from 10 to 25 % and Ga/(In+Ga) = 0.3. Films with Cu in the range 16–24 % are expected to contain 2 phases so an effective medium approximation is used to model the data. This enables the relative volume fractions of the two phases, and hence composition, to be determined. Two distinctive features are observed in the optical spectra as the Cu concentration decreases. First, the fundamental bandgaps are shifted to higher energies. Second, the critical point features at higher energies become broader suggesting degradation of the crystalline quality of the material.

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Alkali Metal Fluoride-Modified Tin Oxide for n–i–p Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces ◽

10.1021/acsami.1c16519 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chunyan Wang ◽

Jihuai Wu ◽

Shibo Wang ◽

Xuping Liu ◽

Xiaobing Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Alkali Metal ◽

Tin Oxide ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Metal Fluoride ◽

Alkali Metal Fluoride

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Reactive thermal evaporated amorphous tin oxide fabricated at room temperature and application in perovskite solar cells

Progress in Photovoltaics Research and Applications ◽

10.1002/pip.3487 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhigang Che ◽

Ming Liu ◽

Fengchao Li ◽

Yanbin Shi ◽

Yurong Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Tin Oxide ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells

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Origin of Mangetotransport Properties in APCVD Deposited Tin Oxide Thin Films

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13225182 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (22) ◽

pp. 5182

Author(s):

Krunoslav Juraić ◽

Davor Gracin ◽

Matija Čulo ◽

Željko Rapljenović ◽

Jasper Rikkert Plaisier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Tin Oxide ◽

Texture Coefficient ◽

Chemical Vapour ◽

Visible Spectrum ◽

Soda Lime ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Soda Lime Glass ◽

Charge Carrier Density

Transparent conducting oxides (TCO) with high electrical conductivity and at the same time high transparency in the visible spectrum are an important class of materials widely used in many devices requiring a transparent contact such as light-emitting diodes, solar cells and display screens. Since the improvement of electrical conductivity usually leads to degradation of optical transparency, a fine-tuning sample preparation process and a better understanding of the correlation between structural and transport properties is necessary for optimizing the properties of TCO for use in such devices. Here we report a structural and magnetotransport study of tin oxide (SnO2), a well-known and commonly used TCO, prepared by a simple and relatively cheap Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition (APCVD) method in the form of thin films deposited on soda-lime glass substrates. The thin films were deposited at two different temperatures (which were previously found to be close to optimum for our setup), 590 °C and 610 °C, and with (doped) or without (undoped) the addition of fluorine dopants. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) revealed the presence of inhomogeneity in the samples, on a bigger scale in form of grains (80–200 nm), and on a smaller scale in form of crystallites (10–25 nm). Charge carrier density and mobility extracted from DC resistivity and Hall effect measurements were in the ranges 1–3 × 1020 cm−3 and 10–20 cm2/Vs, which are typical values for SnO2 films, and show a negligible temperature dependence from room temperature down to −269 °C. Such behaviour is ascribed to grain boundary scattering, with the interior of the grains degenerately doped (i.e., the Fermi level is situated well above the conduction band minimum) and with negligible electrostatic barriers at the grain boundaries (due to high dopant concentration). The observed difference for factor 2 in mobility among the thin-film SnO2 samples most likely arises due to the difference in the preferred orientation of crystallites (texture coefficient).

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Incident-angle-controlled semitransparent colored perovskite solar cells with improved efficiency exploiting a multilayer dielectric mirror

Nanoscale ◽

10.1039/c7nr04069e ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (37) ◽

pp. 13983-13989 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Kyu-Tae Lee ◽

Ji-Yun Jang ◽

Sang Jin Park ◽

Song Ah Ok ◽

Hui Joon Park

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Visible Light ◽

Power Conversion Efficiency ◽

Conversion Efficiency ◽

Incident Angle ◽

Power Conversion ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Dielectric Mirror ◽

Wide Range ◽

Multilayer Dielectric

See-through colored perovskite solar cells that exploit a dielectric mirror are demonstrated. The dielectric mirror strongly reflects a wide range of visible light back to a photoactive layer for efficient light-harvesting, yielding 10.12% power conversion efficiency, with iridescent semitransparent colors.

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