Solution processed n-In2S3/p-P3HT planar hybrid solar cell

Abstract

In2S3 is one of the widely used semiconductors in optoelectronic applications. It has already been used as an n-type buffer layer instead of highly toxic CdS semiconductor in copper indium sulfide based inorganic thin film solar cells. In this work, thin films of In2S3 were prepared on ITO coated glass and glass substrates by a solution based spin casting process. The optical, morphological, and structural characterizations of the In2S3 thin film were studied by Uv-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. According to the X-ray diffraction result the thin film exhibited tetragonal β-phase. The Uv-vis study showed that the In2S3 film exhibited optical band gap of ~2.42 eV. Furthermore, a thin film of In2S3 has also been applied as an inorganic electron accepting semiconductor layer for preparing the planar inorganic/organic hybrid solar cell. The hybrid device with the In2S3 layer exhibited performance with an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of ~0.343 V, short-circuit current density (Jsc) of ~0.528 mA/cm2, fill factor of ~0.53, and power conversion efficiency (η) of ~0.12 %.