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Nanowire Solar Cell Sensitized with II-VI Quantum Dot Layer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Athavan Nadarajah
Affiliation:
[email protected], Portland State University, Physics, Portland, OR 97201, United States
Robert C. Word
Affiliation:
[email protected], Portland State University, Physics, Portland, OR, 97201, United States
Kaitlyn VanSant
Affiliation:
[email protected], Portland State University, Physics, Portland, OR, 97201, United States
Rolf Könenkamp
Affiliation:
[email protected], Portland State University, Physics, 1719 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, OR, 97201, United States
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Abstract

We report first results on a new solar cell consisting of a p-i-n hetero-junction formed between n-type transparent nanowires, undoped semiconductor quantum dots and a wide bandgap p-type polymer layer. The overall structure is SnO2/ZnO/CdSe/MEH-PPV with MEH-PPV standing for poly[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene]. Microscopic studies on the structure of the quantum dot layer before and after anneal indicates a morphology change from a quantum dot assembly to a continuous polycrystalline thin film. The charge transfer between the absorber layer and the adjacent layers is improved as the layer is converted from the quantum dot assembly towards a polycrystalline thin film structure. In optimized devices the spectral photocurrent response shows contributions from the ZnO, the CdSe and the MEHPPV, covering the spectral range from 300 to 700nm with an external quantum efficiency between 30 and 40%. The overall energy conversion efficiency approaches 1%.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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References

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