A Low Temperature Growth of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films as Hole Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells
Copper oxide thin films have been successfully synthesized through a metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) approach starting from the copper bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), Cu(tmhd)<sub>2</sub>, complex. Operative conditions of fabrication strongly affect both the...
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7790 |
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| author | Anna L. Pellegrino Francesca Lo Presti Emanuele Smecca Salvatore Valastro Giuseppe Greco Salvatore Di Franco Fabrizio Roccaforte Alessandra Alberti Graziella Malandrino |
| author_facet | Anna L. Pellegrino Francesca Lo Presti Emanuele Smecca Salvatore Valastro Giuseppe Greco Salvatore Di Franco Fabrizio Roccaforte Alessandra Alberti Graziella Malandrino |
| author_sort | Anna L. Pellegrino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Copper oxide thin films have been successfully synthesized through a metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) approach starting from the copper bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), Cu(tmhd)<sub>2</sub>, complex. Operative conditions of fabrication strongly affect both the composition and morphologies of the copper oxide thin films. The deposition temperature has been accurately monitored in order to stabilize and to produce, selectively and reproducibly, the two phases of cuprite Cu<sub>2</sub>O and/or tenorite CuO. The present approach has the advantages of being industrially appealing, reliable, and fast for the production of thin films over large areas with fine control of both composition and surface uniformity. Moreover, the methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) active layer has been successfully deposited on the ITO/Cu<sub>2</sub>O substrate by the Low Vacuum Proximity Space Effusion (LV-PSE) technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses have been used to characterize the deposited films. The optical band gap (E<sub>g</sub>), ranging from 1.99 to 2.41 eV, has been determined through UV-vis analysis, while the electrical measurements allowed to establish the p-type conductivity behavior of the deposited Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin films with resistivities from 31 to 83 Ω cm and carrier concentration in the order of 1.5–2.8 × 10<sup>16</sup> cm<sup>−3</sup>. These results pave the way for potential applications of the present system as a hole transporting layer combined with a perovskite active layer in emergent solar cell technologies. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:53:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
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| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7e4fb54ec644d39be736306f5c6298c2023-11-24T05:40:52ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-11-011521779010.3390/ma15217790A Low Temperature Growth of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films as Hole Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar CellsAnna L. Pellegrino0Francesca Lo Presti1Emanuele Smecca2Salvatore Valastro3Giuseppe Greco4Salvatore Di Franco5Fabrizio Roccaforte6Alessandra Alberti7Graziella Malandrino8Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, INSTM UdR Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, INSTM UdR Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, ItalyNational Research Council-Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (CNR-IMM), Zona Industriale Strada VIII No. 5, 95121 Catania, ItalyNational Research Council-Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (CNR-IMM), Zona Industriale Strada VIII No. 5, 95121 Catania, ItalyNational Research Council-Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (CNR-IMM), Zona Industriale Strada VIII No. 5, 95121 Catania, ItalyNational Research Council-Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (CNR-IMM), Zona Industriale Strada VIII No. 5, 95121 Catania, ItalyNational Research Council-Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (CNR-IMM), Zona Industriale Strada VIII No. 5, 95121 Catania, ItalyNational Research Council-Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (CNR-IMM), Zona Industriale Strada VIII No. 5, 95121 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, INSTM UdR Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, ItalyCopper oxide thin films have been successfully synthesized through a metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) approach starting from the copper bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), Cu(tmhd)<sub>2</sub>, complex. Operative conditions of fabrication strongly affect both the composition and morphologies of the copper oxide thin films. The deposition temperature has been accurately monitored in order to stabilize and to produce, selectively and reproducibly, the two phases of cuprite Cu<sub>2</sub>O and/or tenorite CuO. The present approach has the advantages of being industrially appealing, reliable, and fast for the production of thin films over large areas with fine control of both composition and surface uniformity. Moreover, the methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) active layer has been successfully deposited on the ITO/Cu<sub>2</sub>O substrate by the Low Vacuum Proximity Space Effusion (LV-PSE) technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses have been used to characterize the deposited films. The optical band gap (E<sub>g</sub>), ranging from 1.99 to 2.41 eV, has been determined through UV-vis analysis, while the electrical measurements allowed to establish the p-type conductivity behavior of the deposited Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin films with resistivities from 31 to 83 Ω cm and carrier concentration in the order of 1.5–2.8 × 10<sup>16</sup> cm<sup>−3</sup>. These results pave the way for potential applications of the present system as a hole transporting layer combined with a perovskite active layer in emergent solar cell technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7790HTL layerchemical vapor depositionhybrid perovskite |
| spellingShingle | Anna L. Pellegrino Francesca Lo Presti Emanuele Smecca Salvatore Valastro Giuseppe Greco Salvatore Di Franco Fabrizio Roccaforte Alessandra Alberti Graziella Malandrino A Low Temperature Growth of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films as Hole Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells Materials HTL layer chemical vapor deposition hybrid perovskite |
| title | A Low Temperature Growth of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films as Hole Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_full | A Low Temperature Growth of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films as Hole Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_fullStr | A Low Temperature Growth of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films as Hole Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Low Temperature Growth of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films as Hole Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_short | A Low Temperature Growth of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films as Hole Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_sort | low temperature growth of cu sub 2 sub o thin films as hole transporting material for perovskite solar cells |
| topic | HTL layer chemical vapor deposition hybrid perovskite |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7790 |
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