Rafael Betancur

High efficiency single-junction semitransparent perovskite solar cells

Semitransparent perovskite solar cells with a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) above 6% and 30% full device transparency have been achieved by implementing a thin perovskite layer and a simple foil compatible layout.

Semi-transparent polymer solar cells

Abstract. Over the last three decades, progress in the organic photovoltaic field has resulted in some device features which make organic cells applicable in electricity generation configurations where the standard silicon-based technology is not suitable, for instance, when a semi-transparent photovoltaic panel is needed. When the thin film solar cell performance is evaluated in terms of the device’s visible transparency and power conversion efficiency, organic solar cells offer the most promising solution. During the last three years, research in the field has consolidated several approaches for the fabrication of high performance semi-transparent organic solar cells. We have grouped these approaches under three categories: devices where the absorber layer includes near-infrared absorption polymers, devices incorporating one-dimensional photonic crystals, and devices with a metal cavity light trapping configuration. We herein review these approaches.

Efficient polymer solar cell employing an oxidized Ni capped Al:ZnO anode without the need of additional hole-transporting-layer

We show that an effective transparent electrode for bulk-heterostructure organic solar cells (OSCs) can be produced by uniformly depositing a few nm of Ni on a film of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO). After deposition, the Ni capping layer is O2 plasma treated to form a bilayer of Ni/NiO, as it is evidenced by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The oxidized Ni capped AZO electrode can act as anode and hole-transporting-layer in OSCs, providing an enhancement in transparency, environmental stability, and injection/collection of charges. The S-shaped feature of the IV curve for the OSC using AZO electrodes in conjunction with NiO transporting layer is not present in the case of the proposed electrode structure, clearly indicating the significant role of the Ni metallic interlayer in reducing the energy barrier. The relevant role played by the Ni was further confirmed when a NiO layer was deposited on top of the AZO/Ni bilayer. In that case, the S-shape was not present while a 90% photo-conversion ef...

Spatial coherence modulation

The principles of amplitude and phase modulation of the spatial coherence of the optical field are discussed. They are based on the modification of the phase-space diagram of the field, provided by the marginal power spectrum, which allows synthesis of the modulating functions of the spatial coherence and the corresponding complex transmissions to be transferred onto a spatial light modulator for application purposes. Numerical and experimental results are presented. This novel technique can be applied in designing specific shapes of power distributions.

Self-Functionalization Behind a Solution-Processed NiOx Film Used As Hole Transporting Layer for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Fabrication of solution-processed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) requires the deposition of high quality films from precursor inks. Frequently, buffer layers of PSCs are formed from dispersions of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs). Therefore, the development of trustable methods for the preparation of stable colloidal NPs dispersions is crucial. In this work, a novel approach to form very compact semiconducting buffer layers with suitable optoelectronic properties is presented through a self-functionalization process of the nanocrystalline particles by their own amorphous phase and without adding any other inorganic or organic functionalization component or surfactant. Such interconnecting amorphous phase composed by residual nitrate, hydroxide, and sodium ions, proved to be fundamental to reach stable colloidal dispersions and contribute to assemble the separate crystalline nickel oxide NPs in the final film, resulting in a very homogeneous and compact layer. A proposed mechanism behind the great stabilization of the nanoparticles is exposed. At the end, the self-functionalized nickel oxide layer exhibited high optoelectronic properties enabling perovskite p-i-n solar cells as efficient as 16.6% demonstrating the pertinence of the presented strategy to obtain high quality buffer layers processed in solution at room temperature.

Interference in phase space

The phase-space representation of interference based on the marginal power spectrum gives new insight on interference, enlarging its potential applications by means of the principle of spatial coherence modulation. Carrier and (0,pi)-rays produced by three different types of supports are introduced for describing interference as the result of adding the radiant energy propagated by the carriers and the modulating energy (which can be positive or negative) propagated by the (0,pi)-rays. Numerical examples are presented.

Cavity-controlled radiative recombination of excitons in thin-film solar cells

We study the performance of photovoltaic devices when controlling the exciton radiative recombination time. We demonstrate that when high-quantum-yield fluorescent photovoltaic materials are placed within an optical cavity, the spontaneous emission of the radiative exciton is partially inhibited. The corresponding increase of the exciton lifetime results in an increase of the effective diffusion length and diffusion current. This performance maximizes when the thickness of the cell is comparable to the absorption length. We show that when typical parameter values of thin solar-cell devices are used, the efficiency may improve by as much as three times.

Phase-space representation and polarization domains of random electromagnetic fields

The phase-space representation of stationary random electromagnetic fields is developed by using electromagnetic spatial coherence wavelets. The propagation of the fields power and states of spatial coherence and polarization results from correlations between the components of the field vectors at pairs of points in space. Polarization domains are theoretically predicted as the structure of the field polarization at the observation plane. In addition, the phase-space representation provides a generalization of the Poynting theorem. Theoretical predictions are examined by numerically simulating the Young experiment with electromagnetic waves. The experimental implementation of these results is a current subject of research.

Simultaneous Top and Bottom Perovskite Interface Engineering by Fullerene Surface Modification of Titanium Dioxide as Electron Transport Layer

Optimization of the interface between the electron transport layer (ETL) and the hybrid perovskite is crucial to achieve high-performance perovskite solar cell (PSC) devices. Fullerene-based compounds have attracted attention as modifiers on the surface properties of TiO2, the archetypal ETL in regular n-i-p PSCs. However, the partial solubility of fullerenes in the aprotic solvents used for perovskite deposition hinders its application to low-temperature solution-processed PSCs. In this work, we introduce a new method for fullerene modification of TiO2 layers derived from nanoparticles (NPs) inks. Atomic force microscopy characterization reveals that the resulting ETL is a network of TiO2-NPs interconnected by fullerenes. Interestingly, this surface modification enhances the bottom interface of the perovskite by improving the charge transfer as well as the top perovskite interface by reducing surface trap states enhancing the contact with the p-type buffer layer. As a result, rigid PSCs reached a 17.2% power conversion efficiency (PCE), while flexible PSCs exhibited a remarkable stabilized PCE of 12.2% demonstrating the potential application of this approach for further scale-up of PSC devices.

One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals for Light Management in Organic Solar Cells

An effective charge collection in the majority of organic solar cells is achieved when the photo-converting layer is just a few tens of nanometer in thickness. In such conditions light management is an essential ingredient to reach the best performance from such type of organic devices. This chapter introduces an inverse integration procedure to optically optimize the architecture of organic solar cells. The relevant role played by the electron and hole transporting layers in such optical optimization of the architecture is discussed. Next, inverse integration is considered to design disordered one-dimension photonic crystal type structures to enhance photocurrent generation in semi-transparent solar cells. It is shown that the light management provided by the photonic structure is essential to achieve a performance which optimizes the balance among device transparency and efficiency.