Disentangling energetic and charge-carrier dynamic influences on the open-circuit voltage in bulk-heterojunction solar-cells

A combination of transient and static techniques has been applied to bulk-heterojunction solar-cells to gain insight into the influence of charge-carrier dynamics and of energy level shifts in the vicinity of the cathode on the open-circuit voltage. Devices with a different thermal-annealing history...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied physics 2016-12, Vol.120 (22)
Main Authors: Chelouche, A., Magnifouet, G., Al Ahmad, A., Leclerc, N., Heiser, T., Lévêque, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Annealing
Applied physics
Carrier lifetime
Cathodes
Current carriers
Energy levels
Heterojunctions
Morphology
Open circuit voltage
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Summary:A combination of transient and static techniques has been applied to bulk-heterojunction solar-cells to gain insight into the influence of charge-carrier dynamics and of energy level shifts in the vicinity of the cathode on the open-circuit voltage. Devices with a different thermal-annealing history but with similar active layer-morphology were compared. P3HT:PC60BM bulk heterojunction solar-cells with a standard ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active-layer/Al were investigated. We show that the open-circuit voltage increase that occurs when a sample is annealed before or after cathode deposition is due roughly one third to a shift between the energetics of the photoactive blend adjacent to the cathode and that in the bulk of the photoactive layer and roughly two thirds to a significant increase in the charge-carrier lifetime for this type of solar-cell.
ISSN:0021-8979
1089-7550
DOI:10.1063/1.4971962