Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for photovoltaics
The development of cuprous oxide (Cu [subscript 2]O) photovoltaics (PVs) is limited by low device open-circuit voltages. A strong contributing factor to this underperformance is the conduction-band offset between Cu [subscript 2]O and its n-type heterojunction partner or electron-selective contact....
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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American Institute of Physics (AIP)
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97244 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2785-552X https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8345-4937 |
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| author | Brandt, Riley E. Young, Matthew Park, Helen Hejin Dameron, Arrelaine Chua, Danny Lee, Yun Seog Teeter, Glenn Gordon, Roy G. Buonassisi, Tonio |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Brandt, Riley E. Young, Matthew Park, Helen Hejin Dameron, Arrelaine Chua, Danny Lee, Yun Seog Teeter, Glenn Gordon, Roy G. Buonassisi, Tonio |
| author_sort | Brandt, Riley E. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The development of cuprous oxide (Cu [subscript 2]O) photovoltaics (PVs) is limited by low device open-circuit voltages. A strong contributing factor to this underperformance is the conduction-band offset between Cu [subscript 2]O and its n-type heterojunction partner or electron-selective contact. In the present work, a broad range of possible n-type materials is surveyed, including ZnO, ZnS, Zn(O,S), (Mg,Zn)O, TiO[subscript 2], CdS, and Ga[subscript 2]O[subscript 3]. Band offsets are determined through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical bandgap measurements. A majority of these materials is identified as having a negative conduction-band offset with respect to Cu [subscript 2]O; the detrimental impact of this on open-circuit voltage (V [subscript OC]) is evaluated through 1-D device simulation. These results suggest that doping density of the n-type material is important as well, and that a poorly optimized heterojunction can easily mask changes in bulk minority carrier lifetime. Promising heterojunction candidates identified here include Zn(O,S) with [S]/[Zn] ratios >70%, and Ga[subscript 2]O[subscript 3], which both demonstrate slightly positive conduction-band offsets and high V [subscript OC] potential. This experimental protocol and modeling may be generalized to evaluate the efficiency potential of candidate heterojunction partners for other PV absorbers, and the materials identified herein may be promising for other absorbers with low electron affinities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:05:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/97244 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:05:49Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | American Institute of Physics (AIP) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/972442022-09-23T10:52:23Z Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for photovoltaics Brandt, Riley E. Young, Matthew Park, Helen Hejin Dameron, Arrelaine Chua, Danny Lee, Yun Seog Teeter, Glenn Gordon, Roy G. Buonassisi, Tonio Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Photovoltaic Research Laboratory Brandt, Riley E. Lee, Yun Seog Buonassisi, Tonio The development of cuprous oxide (Cu [subscript 2]O) photovoltaics (PVs) is limited by low device open-circuit voltages. A strong contributing factor to this underperformance is the conduction-band offset between Cu [subscript 2]O and its n-type heterojunction partner or electron-selective contact. In the present work, a broad range of possible n-type materials is surveyed, including ZnO, ZnS, Zn(O,S), (Mg,Zn)O, TiO[subscript 2], CdS, and Ga[subscript 2]O[subscript 3]. Band offsets are determined through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical bandgap measurements. A majority of these materials is identified as having a negative conduction-band offset with respect to Cu [subscript 2]O; the detrimental impact of this on open-circuit voltage (V [subscript OC]) is evaluated through 1-D device simulation. These results suggest that doping density of the n-type material is important as well, and that a poorly optimized heterojunction can easily mask changes in bulk minority carrier lifetime. Promising heterojunction candidates identified here include Zn(O,S) with [S]/[Zn] ratios >70%, and Ga[subscript 2]O[subscript 3], which both demonstrate slightly positive conduction-band offsets and high V [subscript OC] potential. This experimental protocol and modeling may be generalized to evaluate the efficiency potential of candidate heterojunction partners for other PV absorbers, and the materials identified herein may be promising for other absorbers with low electron affinities. National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CAREER Award ECCS-1150878) Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. Low Energy Electronic Systems Research Program (Singapore. National Research Foundation) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.) (Non-Proprietary Partnering Program Contract DE-AC36-08-GO28308) 2015-06-09T16:03:35Z 2015-06-09T16:03:35Z 2014-12 2014-10 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0003-6951 1077-3118 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97244 Brandt, Riley E., Matthew Young, Helen Hejin Park, Arrelaine Dameron, Danny Chua, Yun Seog Lee, Glenn Teeter, Roy G. Gordon, and Tonio Buonassisi. “Band Offsets of n-Type Electron-Selective Contacts on Cuprous Oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for Photovoltaics.” Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, no. 26 (December 29, 2014): 263901. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2785-552X https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8345-4937 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4905180 Applied Physics Letters Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Institute of Physics (AIP) Other univ. web domain |
| spellingShingle | Brandt, Riley E. Young, Matthew Park, Helen Hejin Dameron, Arrelaine Chua, Danny Lee, Yun Seog Teeter, Glenn Gordon, Roy G. Buonassisi, Tonio Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for photovoltaics |
| title | Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for photovoltaics |
| title_full | Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for photovoltaics |
| title_fullStr | Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for photovoltaics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for photovoltaics |
| title_short | Band offsets of n-type electron-selective contacts on cuprous oxide (Cu[subscript 2]O) for photovoltaics |
| title_sort | band offsets of n type electron selective contacts on cuprous oxide cu subscript 2 o for photovoltaics |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97244 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2785-552X https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8345-4937 |
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