Electrical conduction and photovoltaic effects of TPA-derivative solar cells

• Published in: Thin solid films 2011-05, Vol.519 (15), p.5219-5222
• Main Authors: Sulaiman, Khaulah, Fakir, Muhamad Saipul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum; Applied sciences; Charge; Charge (electric); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electric charge; Electrical conduction; Electrical properties of specific thin films; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic transport phenomena in thin films and low-dimensional structures; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Indium tin oxide; Liquid phase epitaxy; deposition from liquid phases (melts, solutions, and surface layers on liquids); Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Natural energy; NPD; Organic semiconductors; Organic solar cells; Photoconduction and photovoltaic effects; photodielectric effects; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic conversion; Physics; Solar cells; Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells; Solar energy; TDCV-TPA; Thin films
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2011.01.163

We report the charge conduction behaviours and photovoltaic properties of two different diodes containing low-molecular-weight organic semiconductors: N,N′-Di-[(1-naphthyl)- N,N′-diphenyl]-1,1′-biphenyl)-4,4′-diamine (NPD) and tris[4-(5-dicyanomethylidenemethyl-2-thienyl)phenyl]amine (TDCV-TPA), respectively. Both low-molecular-weight materials were triphenyl-amine TPA derivatives, and each thin film was sandwiched between indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminium (Al) electrodes. In our work, the NPD and TDCV-TPA thin films were prepared via a solution-processed spin-coating technique instead of the conventional method of thermal evaporation. Higher electrical conduction and photocurrents were produced by utilizing a TDCV-TPA layer in the device instead of an NPD film. We attribute such phenomena to the greater carrier mobility and to the increase in charge generation.