IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v8y2017i1d10.1038_s41467-017-00582-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ultrathin high band gap solar cells with improved efficiencies from the world’s oldest photovoltaic material

Author

Listed:
  • Teodor K. Todorov

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

  • Saurabh Singh

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

  • Douglas M. Bishop

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

  • Oki Gunawan

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

  • Yun Seog Lee

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

  • Talia S. Gershon

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

  • Kevin W. Brew

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

  • Priscilla D. Antunez

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

  • Richard Haight

    (IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

Abstract

Selenium was used in the first solid state solar cell in 1883 and gave early insights into the photoelectric effect that inspired Einstein’s Nobel Prize work; however, the latest efficiency milestone of 5.0% was more than 30 years ago. The recent surge of interest towards high-band gap absorbers for tandem applications led us to reconsider this attractive 1.95 eV material. Here, we show completely redesigned selenium devices with improved back and front interfaces optimized through combinatorial studies and demonstrate record open-circuit voltage (V OC) of 970 mV and efficiency of 6.5% under 1 Sun. In addition, Se devices are air-stable, non-toxic, and extremely simple to fabricate. The absorber layer is only 100 nm thick, and can be processed at 200 ˚C, allowing temperature compatibility with most bottom substrates or sub-cells. We analyze device limitations and find significant potential for further improvement making selenium an attractive high-band-gap absorber for multi-junction device applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Teodor K. Todorov & Saurabh Singh & Douglas M. Bishop & Oki Gunawan & Yun Seog Lee & Talia S. Gershon & Kevin W. Brew & Priscilla D. Antunez & Richard Haight, 2017. "Ultrathin high band gap solar cells with improved efficiencies from the world’s oldest photovoltaic material," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-00582-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00582-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-00582-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-017-00582-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-00582-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.