Abstract
We report the findings of a study into the suitability of copper (I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) as a hole-transport layer in inverted photovoltaic (PV) devices based on the black gamma phase (B-γ) of CsSnI3 perovskite. Remarkably, when B-γ-CsSnI3 perovskite is deposited from a dimethylformamide solution onto a 180–190 nm thick CuSCN film supported on an indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode, the CuSCN layer is completely displaced leaving a perovskite layer with high uniformity and coverage of the underlying ITO electrode. This finding is confirmed by detailed analysis of the thickness and composition of the film that remains after perovskite deposition, together with photovoltaic device studies. The results of this study show that, whilst CuSCN has proved to be an excellent hole-extraction layer for high performance lead-perovskite and organic photovoltaics, it is unsuitable as a hole-transport layer in inverted B-γ-CsSnI3 perovskite photovoltaics processed from solution.
Highlights
Perovskite photovoltaic (PPV) devices using lead (Pb) halides as the light harvesting semiconductor have shown an unprecedented evolution over the span of less than a decade, with the power conversion efficiency increasing from 3.8% in 20091 to 22.1% in 20162
We report the findings of an investigation into the suitably of CuSCN as a hole transport layer (HTL) in inverted PV devices based on B-γ-CsSnI3, a semiconductor that is attracting considerable attention because it offers near ideal optoelectronic properties for a single junction PV devices and can be processed at room temperature from dimethylformamide (DMF) solutions of CsI and SnI223
A solution concentration of 50 mg/ml deposited at room temperature yielded a film thickness of 180–190 nm as measured by step height analysis using atomic force microscopy (AFM): Supporting Information Figure S1
Summary
After UV/O3 treatment the slides were transferred into a dry nitrogen filled glovebox for CuSCN film deposition followed by deposition of the perovskite and the PC61BM layer from 13 mg ml−1 chlorobenzene solution using a spin speed of 1500 rpm. This was followed by thermal evaporation of 6 nm bathocuproine (BCP) deposited at 0.5 Å s−1 and 60 nm of Al deposited at 1 Å s−1. Simulated diffraction patterns were calculated using the program Mercury 3.122 using CIFs from the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD)
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