Title :
Performance Improvement of Low-Band-Gap Polymer Solar Cells by Optical Microcavity Effect
Author :
Shen, Liang ; Yu, Wenjuan ; Long, Yongbing ; Guo, Wenbin ; Meng, Fanxu ; Ruan, Shengping ; Chen, Weiyou
Author_Institution :
State Key Lab. on Integrated Optoelectron., Jilin Univ., Changchun, China
Abstract :
We investigate the performance of the indium tin oxide (ITO)-free low-band-gap polymer solar cells (PSCs) with a WO3/Ag/WO3 multilayer as a transparent electrode. For the device with a 60-nm-thick active layer, the efficiency is improved by 26.5% when compared with that of the device with an ITO electrode. The improvement can be attributed to the resonance effect of the microcavity structure occurring between the transparent WO3 /Ag/WO3 and top metal electrode. Further investigation based on the incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency spectra test and transfer matrix simulation is performed to expatiate on the effects of the microcavity on the performance of the low-band-gap PSCs with the WO3/Ag/WO3 multilayer as the transparent electrode.
Keywords :
electrodes; energy gap; indium compounds; microcavities; optical multilayers; polymers; silver; solar cells; tin compounds; tungsten compounds; ITO; ITO electrode; ITO-free low-band-gap polymer solar cells; WO3-Ag-WO3; active layer; efficiency 26.5 percent; incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency spectra test; low-band-gap PSC; low-band-gap polymer solar cells; microcavity structure; optical microcavity effect; resonance effect; size 60 nm; top metal electrode; transfer matrix simulation; transparent electrode; Absorption; Electrodes; Indium tin oxide; Microcavities; Photovoltaic cells; Polymers; Indium tin oxide (ITO) free; low band gap; microcavity effect; polymer solar cells (PSCs);
Journal_Title :
Electron Device Letters, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/LED.2012.2227237
