Sequential Cesium Incorporation for Highly Efficient Formamidinium-Cesium Perovskite Solar Cells

Although pure formamidinium iodide perovskite (FAPbI3) possesses an optimal gap for photovoltaics, their poor phase stability limits the long-term operational stability of the devices. A promising approach to enhance their phase stability is to incorporate cesium into FAPbI3. However, state-of-the-art formamidinium-cesium (FA-Cs) iodide perovskites demonstrate much worse efficiency compared with FAPbI3, limited by different crystallization dynamics of formamidinium and cesium, which result in poor composition homogeneity and high trap densities. We develop a novel strategy of crystallization decoupling processes of formamidinium and cesium via a sequential cesium incorporation approach. As such, we obtain highly reproducible and highly efficient solar cells based on FA1-xCsxPbI3 films, with uniform composition distribution and low defect densities. In addition, our cesium-incorporated perovskites demonstrate much enhanced stability compared with FAPbI3, as a result of suppressed ionic migration due to reduced electron-phonon coupling.

Optical Losses of Frontal Layers in Superstrate CdS/CdTe Solar Cells Using OPAL2

In this paper, optical losses in CdS/CdTe solar cells are calculated on the basis of the designated reflective index of various frontal layers using an OPAL2 calculator for the first time. Two types of glass (0.1 mm ultra-thin Schott and 1.1 mm standard borosilicate glass) were assumed to be coated by different Transparent-Conducting-Oxides (TCOs) such as SnO2:F, ZnO:Al, and ITO forming frontal layers for CdS/CdTe solar cells in superstrate configuration. Absorption, reflectance, transmittance, and consequently optical bandgap energies are calculated as a function of common thicknesses, used in the literature. The results show that an increase in TCO thickness led to a decrease in optical band gap as well as an enhancement in contact potential difference, which can deteriorate device performance. The optimum thickness of 100 nm for SnO2:F was calculated, while 200 nm for ZnO:Al and ITO show reasonable optical losses caused by reflections at the interfaces’ and the layer’s absorption. It is seen that 80 to 150 nm CdS on ITO might be an effective range to satisfy a high short circuit current and low defect densities at the CdS/CdTe interface. Finally, a minimum 2 μm thickness for the CdTe on the ultra-thin Schott glass coated by optimum layers can result in the highest short circuit current of 28.69 mA/cm2. This work offers a practical equivalent strategy to be applied for any superstrate solar cells containing TCO and CdS frontal layers.

Improved Photovoltaic Performance of CsPbI2Br Perovskite Films via Bivalent Metal Chloride Doping

Cesium-based all-inorganic perovskite absorbers have attracted increasing attention due to their superior thermal stability, compared to their organic–inorganic counterparts. Up to now, it is a challenge to fabricate high-efficiency all-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with low defect densities. Herein, we used bivalent metal chloride salts (SrCl2 and NiCl2) to optimize CsPbI2Br films. The experimental results indicate that this method could deliver high-quality films with improved electronic property. As a result, the champion device based on the 0.01 M SrCl2–doped CsPbI2Br film achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.07% with a high open voltage (VOC) of 1,322 mV, which is about 18% higher than that of the pristine device.

Engineering Method for Tailoring Electrical Characteristics in TiN/TiOx/HfOx/Au Bi-Layer Oxide Memristive Devices

Memristive devices have led to an increased interest in neuromorphic systems. However, different device requirements are needed for the multitude of computation schemes used there. While linear and time-independent conductance modulation is required for machine learning, non-linear and time-dependent properties are necessary for neurobiologically realistic learning schemes. In this context, an adaptation of the resistance switching characteristic is necessary with regard to the desired application. Recently, bi-layer oxide memristive systems have proven to be a suitable device structure for this purpose, as they combine the possibility of a tailored memristive characteristic with low power consumption and uniformity of the device performance. However, this requires technological solutions that allow for precise adjustment of layer thicknesses, defect densities in the oxide layers, and suitable area sizes of the active part of the devices. For this purpose, we have investigated the bi-layer oxide system TiN/TiOx/HfOx/Au with respect to tailored I-V non-linearity, the number of resistance states, electroforming, and operating voltages. Therefore, a 4-inch full device wafer process was used. This process allows a systematic investigation, i.e., the variation of physical device parameters across the wafer as well as a statistical evaluation of the electrical properties with regard to the variability from device to device and from cycle to cycle. For the investigation, the thickness of the HfOx layer was varied between 2 and 8 nm, and the size of the active area of devices was changed between 100 and 2,500 µm2. Furthermore, the influence of the HfOx deposition condition was investigated, which influences the conduction mechanisms from a volume-based, filamentary to an interface-based resistive switching mechanism. Our experimental results are supported by numerical simulations that show the contribution of the HfOx film in the bi-layer memristive system and guide the development of a targeting device.

Near-IR emission of InGaN Quasi-Quantum Dots on Non-polar GaN Nanowire Structures

In group III-nitride based semiconductor structures, the incorporation of high indium-composition InGaN has been severely limited by extremely inefficient strain-induced polarization fields and prohibitively large-defect densities. So far, there is...