Energies (Sep 2020)

Annealing-Temperature Dependent Carrier-Transportation in ZnO/PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells Fabricated Using Liquid-Phase Ligand Exchange Methods

  • Akihiro Takahashi,
  • Haibin Wang,
  • Takeshi Fukuda,
  • Norihiko Kamata,
  • Takaya Kubo,
  • Hiroshi Segawa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195037
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 19
p. 5037

Abstract

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We constructed ZnO/PbS quantum dot (QD) heterojunction solar cells using liquid-phase ligand exchange methods. Colloidal QD solutions deposited on ZnO-dense layers were treated at different temperatures to systematically study how thermal annealing temperature affected carrier transport properties. The surface of the layers became dense and smooth as the temperature approached approximately 80 °C. The morphology of layers became rough for higher temperatures, causing large grain-forming PbS QD aggregation. The number of defect states in the layers indicated a valley-shaped profile with a minimum of 80 °C. This temperature dependence was closely related to the amount of residual n-butylamine complexes in the PbS QD layers and the active layer morphology. The resulting carrier diffusion length obtained on the active layers treated at 80 °C reached approximately 430 nm. The solar cells with a 430-nm-thick active layer produced a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.3%. An even higher PCE is expected in solar cells fabricated under optimal annealing conditions.

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