Architecture for high efficiency polymer photovoltaic cells using an optical spacer
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsKwanghee LEE, Alan J. Heeger
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Abstract
High efficiency polymer photovoltaic cells have been fabricated using an optical spacer between the active layer and the electron-collecting electrode. Such cells exhibit approximately 50% enhancement in power conversion efficiency. The spacer layer increases the efficiency by modifying the spatial distribution of the light intensity inside the device, thereby creating more photogenerated charge carriers in the bulk heterojunction layer.
Claims16
In a photovoltaic cell which includes an organic polymer-based photoactive layer having two sides, one side bounded by a transparent first electrode through which light can be admitted to the photoactive layer and the second side adjacent to a light-reflective second electrode, the improvement comprising an optical spacer layer separating the photoactive layer from the reflective second electrode.
A photovoltaic cell comprising a transparent substrate, an ITO-.PEDOT:PSS bilayer hole-collecting electrode on the substrate, an organic polymer-based active layer comprising P3HT:PCBM on the hole-collecting electrode, an amorphous titanium oxide spacer layer on the active layer and a reflective metal electron-collecting electrode on the spacer layer.
In a method of preparing an organic polymer-based photovoltaic cell comprising a transparent substrate, a transparent hole-collecting electrode on the support, an organic polymer-based active layer on the hole-collecting electrode, the improvement comprising casting a layer of a titanium oxide precursor solution onto the active layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.