Effect of the nature of the anode buffer layer – MoO₃, CuI or MoO₃/CuI – on the performances of organic solar cells based on oligothiophene thin films deposited by sublimation

¹ Université de Nantes, Moltech Anjou, UMR 6200, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP 92208, 44000 Nantes, France
² Laboratoire Optoélectronique et Physico-chimie des Matériaux, Université Ibn Tofail, Faculté des Sciences, BP 133, Kenitra 14000, Morocco
³ Université de Nantes, Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel (IMN), UMR 6502, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP 92208, 44000 Nantes, France
⁴ Université de Nantes, Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP 92208, 44000 Nantes, France

^a e-mail: jean-christian.bernede@univ-nantes.fr

Received: 13 September 2012
Revised: 18 October 2012
Accepted: 31 October 2012
Published online: 3 December 2012

Abstract

An oligothiophene having a donor-acceptor-donor chromophore with hydrogen bonding groups is used as electron donor in planar heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells. We focus on the contact between the anode and the oligothiophene. Different anode buffer layers (ABLs) have been used, MoO₃ and CuI, alone or coupled with MoO₃. The thicknesses were 4 nm and 3 nm for MoO₃ and CuI respectively. It is shown that the ABL improves the cells performances. The best results are achieved with the couple MoO₃/CuI through an increase of the open circuit voltage and short circuit current. The optical absorption, the surface roughness and the organic film conductivity depend on the ABL. The conductivity of the oligothiophene film is one order of magnitude higher when the ABL is a CuI film. The influence of the ABL can be explained partly by the fact that it raises the anode work function. Nevertheless, the study of the structures ITO/ABL/oligothiophene shows that each ABL exhibits specific advantages and disadvantages. Therefore the couple MoO₃/CuI allows summing up the advantages of both ABLs, MoO₃ allows a very good band matching and avoids too high leakage current, while CuI allows achieving high Jsc thanks to its effect on the TTB conductivity.