Highly Efficient Organic/Silicon Hybrid Solar Cells with a MoO₃ Capping Layer

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Organic/silicon (Si) hybrid solar cells offer facile fabrication and high efficiency for sustainable energy.
• Efficient charge carrier collection and separation at the organic/Si interface are limited by the low work function of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the performance of organic/Si hybrid solar cells by addressing charge carrier dynamics at the heterojunction interface.
• To investigate the effect of a high-work-function interface layer on device performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of n-Si/PEDOT:PSS solar cells with an integrated molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) interface layer.
• Characterization of the impact of the MoO3 layer on the built-in potential, charge carrier separation, and recombination at the organic/Si interface.

Main Results:

• The MoO3 layer significantly increased the built-in potential of the solar cells.
• An inversion layer was formed near the n-Si surface, facilitating charge separation and inhibiting recombination.
• The champion solar cell incorporating the MoO3 layer achieved a 16.0% power conversion efficiency and an 80.8% fill factor.

Conclusions:

• The incorporation of a MoO3 interface layer is a simple yet effective strategy to boost the performance of organic/Si hybrid solar cells.
• This approach enhances charge carrier management at the heterojunction, paving the way for more efficient photovoltaic devices.