Recent Advances of Organic Solar Cells with Optical Microcavities

Abstract

In recent decades, organic solar cells (OSCs) have drawn increasing interest due to their unique properties such as low cost, solution‐processing, flexibility, semitransparency, and nontoxicity. Due to some shortcomings of limited optical absorption in organic semiconductors as well as low carrier mobility and short exciton diffusion length, light‐trapping technologies such as surface plasmon resonance, photonic crystals, and microcavities (MCs) have been widely developed to improve device performance. Among these methods, the MC effect is liable to form and has unneglectable influences on the device efficiency. However, few reports systematically summarize the development of MC‐based OSCs. Herein, the principle of the MC effect is introduced first, and subsequently, the application and the development of MCs in single and multi‐junction OSCs are described in detail. Furthermore, in addition to the traditional MCs‐enhanced light absorption, other applications based on the MC structure in OSCs and other photo‐electronic conversion devices are also represented. Finally, the problems that need to be solved and the development directions of MC‐based OSCs in the future are outlined. It is believed that this review can provide new thinking for achieving high‐performance OSCs with optical means.