SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

Cu2O-based solar cells using oxide semiconductors

Tadatsugu Minami, Yuki Nishi and Toshihiro Miyata

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 Corresponding author: Toshihiro Miyata,Email:tmiyata@neptune.kanazawa-it.ac.jp

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Abstract: We describe significant improvements of the photovoltaic properties that were achieved in Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/n-type oxide semiconductor/p-type Cu2O heterojunction solar cells fabricated using p-type Cu2O sheets prepared by thermally oxidizing Cu sheets. The multicomponent oxide thin film used as the n-type semiconductor layer was prepared with various chemical compositions on non-intentionally heated Cu2O sheets under various deposition conditions using a pulsed laser deposition method. In Cu2O-based heterojunction solar cells fabricated using various ternary compounds as the n-type oxide thin-film layer, the best photovoltaic performance was obtained with an n-ZnGa2O4 thin-film layer. In most of the Cu2O-based heterojunction solar cells using multicomponent oxides composed of combinations of various binary compounds, the obtained photovoltaic properties changed gradually as the chemical composition was varied. However, with the ZnO-MgO and Ga2O3-Al2O3 systems, higher conversion efficiencies (η) as well as a high open circuit voltage (Voc) were obtained by using a relatively small amount of MgO or Al2O3, e.g., (ZnO)0.91-(MgO)0.09 and (Ga2O3)0.975-(Al2O3)0.025, respectively. When Cu2O-based heterojunction solar cells were fabricated using Al2O3-Ga2O3-MgO-ZnO (AGMZO) multicomponent oxide thin films deposited with metal atomic ratios of 10, 60, 10 and 20 at.% for the Al, Ga, Mg and Zn, respectively, a high Voc of 0.98 V and an η of 4.82% were obtained. In addition, an enhanced η and an improved fill factor could be achieved in AZO/n-type multicomponent oxide/p-type Cu2O heterojunction solar cells fabricated using Na-doped Cu2O (Cu2O:Na) sheets that featured a resistivity controlled by optimizing the post-annealing temperature and duration. Consequently, an η of 6.25% and a Voc of 0.84 V were obtained in a MgF2/AZO/n-(Ga2O3-Al2O3)/p-Cu2O:Na heterojunction solar cell fabricated using a Cu2O:Na sheet with a resistivity of approximately 10 Ω·cm and a (Ga0.975Al0.025)2O3 thin film with a thickness of approximately 60 nm. In addition, a Voc of 0.96 V and an η of 5.4% were obtained in a MgF2/AZO/n-AGMZO/p-Cu2O:Na heterojunction solar cell.

Key words: Cu2On-type oxide semiconductorheterojunction solar cellshigh efficiency



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Fig. 1.  Schematic structure of a heterojunction solar cell.

Fig. 2.  Oxygen pressure dependence of obtained efficiency (/ in AZO/n-oxide semiconductor/p-Cu2O heterojunction solar cells fabricated by depositing various binary compound thin films in an O2 gas atmosphere.

Fig. 3.  Oxygen pressure dependence of obtained in AZO/n-oxide semiconductor/p-Cu2O heterojunction solar cells fabricated by depositing a ZnO, Ga2O3 or ZnGa2O4 thin film in an O2 gas atmosphere.

Fig. 4.  (Color online) Typical obtained J –V characteristics for heterojunction solar cells fabricated using various ternary compound thin films as (a) the n-semiconductor layer or (b) either the n- or p-oxide semiconductor layer: measured under AM 1.5 G solar illumination.

Fig. 5.  (Color online) Obtained J –V characteristics as a function of Zn content for heterojunction solar cells fabricated using multicomponent oxides composed of Ga2O3 and ZnO and measured under AM 1.5 G solar illumination.

Fig. 6.  Obtained Voc, JSC, FF and as functions of Zn content for heterojunction solar cells fabricated using multicomponent oxides composed of Ga2O3 and ZnO.

Fig. 7.  (Color online) Obtained J –V characteristics as a function of Zn content for heterojunction solar cells fabricated using multicomponent oxides composed of Ga2O3 and ZnO and measured under dark conditions.

Fig. 8.  (Color online) Obtained and Voc as functions of M content (metal atomic ratio) for heterojunction solar cells fabricated using various multicomponent oxides composed of Ga2O3 and various kinds of metal oxide (MO): (1) Ga2O3–Al2O3, (2) –ZnO, (3) –SnO2, (4) –In2O3.

Fig. 9.  (Color online) Obtained and Voc as functions of M content (metal atomic ratio) for heterojunction solar cells fabricated using various multicomponent oxides composed of ZnO and various kinds of metal oxide (MO): (2) ZnO–Ga2O3, (5) –MgO, (6) –SnO2.

Fig. 10.  Typical obtained J –V and P–V characteristics in an AZO/n-IGZO or -AGMZO/p-Cu2O heterojunction solar cell fabricated using multicomponent oxides composed of three binary compounds or four binary compounds, respectively.

Fig. 11.  Obtained as a function of the thickness of AGMZO thin films for AZO/n-AGMZO/p-Cu2O heterojunction solar cells.

Table 1.   Obtained VOC, JSC, FF and in maximum efficiency AZO/n-type semiconductor/p-type Cu2O heterojunction solar cells fabricated using various ternary compounds.

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Table 2.   Obtained , Voc, Jsc and FF in maximum efficiency AZO/n-type semiconductor/p-type Cu2O heterojunction solar cells fabricated using multicomponent oxides composed of two binary compounds.

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Table 3.   Obtained , Voc, Jsc, FF, Rs and Rsh in maximum efficiency MgF2/AZO/n-(Ga0:975Al0:025)2O3 or AGMZO/p-Cu2O:Na heterojunction solar cells fabricated by forming multicomponent oxide thin films under optimized conditions on Cu2O:Na sheets.

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    Received: 13 October 2015 Revised: Online: Published: 01 January 2016

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      Tadatsugu Minami, Yuki Nishi, Toshihiro Miyata. Cu2O-based solar cells using oxide semiconductors[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2016, 37(1): 014002. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/37/1/014002 T Minami, Y Nishi, T Miyata. Cu2O-based solar cells using oxide semiconductors[J]. J. Semicond., 2016, 37(1): 014002. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/37/1/014002.Export: BibTex EndNote
      Citation:
      Tadatsugu Minami, Yuki Nishi, Toshihiro Miyata. Cu2O-based solar cells using oxide semiconductors[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2016, 37(1): 014002. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/37/1/014002

      T Minami, Y Nishi, T Miyata. Cu2O-based solar cells using oxide semiconductors[J]. J. Semicond., 2016, 37(1): 014002. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/37/1/014002.
      Export: BibTex EndNote

      Cu2O-based solar cells using oxide semiconductors

      doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/37/1/014002
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      • Corresponding author: Toshihiro Miyata,Email:tmiyata@neptune.kanazawa-it.ac.jp
      • Received Date: 2015-10-13
      • Published Date: 2016-01-25

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