Electroabsorption studies of organic p-i-n solar cells: Increase of the built-in voltage by higher doping concentration in the hole transport layer

The built-in voltage in solar cells has a significant influence on the extraction of photogenerated charge carriers. For small molecule organic solar cells based on the p-i-n structure, we investigate the dependence of the built-in voltage on the work function of both the hole transport layer and th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Siebert-Henze, E, Lyssenko, V, Fischer, J, Tietze, M, Brueckner, R, Menke, T, Leo, K, Riede, M
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2014
Description
Summary:The built-in voltage in solar cells has a significant influence on the extraction of photogenerated charge carriers. For small molecule organic solar cells based on the p-i-n structure, we investigate the dependence of the built-in voltage on the work function of both the hole transport layer and the electrode material. The model system investigated here consists of a planar heterojunction with N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl)-benzidine (MeO-TPD) as donor and Buckminster Fullerene (C<sub>60</sub>) as acceptor material. A higher concentration of the dopant C<sub>60</sub>F<sub>36</sub> in the hole transport layer induces a shift of the work function towards the transport level. The resulting increase of the built-in voltage is studied using electroabsorption spectroscopy, measuring the change in absorption (Stark effect) caused by an externally applied electric field. An evaluation of these electroabsorption spectra as a function of the applied DC voltage enables the direct measurement of the built-in voltage. It is also shown that an increased built-in voltage does lead to a larger short-circuit current as well as a larger fill factor. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.