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The effect of skin-depth interfacial defect layer in perovskite solar cell

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Abstract

The hole transport buffer layer (HTL) known as PEDOT:PSS is found to be sensitive to polar solvents often used in the preparation of solution-processed perovskite-based solar cell. We employed \(\hbox {CH}_{3}\,\hbox {NH}_{3}\,\hbox {PbI}_{3}\) perovskite absorber sandwiched between two charge transport layers to analyze the effect of precursor solvent. By introducing skin-depth interfacial defect layer (IDL) on PEDOT:PSS film we studied the overall performance of the devices using one-dimensional device simulator. Both enhanced conductivity and variations in valence band offset (VBO) of IDL were considered to analyze device performance. A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the devices was found to grow by 35 % due to increased conductivity of IDL by a factor of 1000. Furthermore, we noted a drastic reduction in PCE of the device by reducing the work function of IDL by more than 0.3eV . The thickness of interfacial defect layer was also analyzed and found to decrease the PCE of the devices by 18 % for fourfold increase in IDL thickness. The analysis was remarkably reproduced the experimentally generated device parameters and will help to understand the underlying physical process in perovskite-based solar cell.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Professor Marc Burgelman, University of Gent, for the development of the SCAPS software package and allowing us for use and Dr. Mulugeta Bekele, Department of Physics, AAU, for helpfully encouraging to do the work. This work is supported by the International Programs in the Physical Science (IPPS), Sweden, and National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Bizuneh Gebremichael

  2. School of Chemistry & Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa

    Genene Tessema Mola

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  1. Bizuneh Gebremichael
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  2. Genene Tessema Mola
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Correspondence to Genene Tessema Mola.

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Gebremichael, B., Mola, G.T. The effect of skin-depth interfacial defect layer in perovskite solar cell. Appl. Phys. B 122, 215 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-016-6492-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-016-6492-y

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