Organic tandem solar cells: How impedance analyses can improve the quality of external quantum efficiency measurements

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Daniel Bahro - , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Manfred Wilck - , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Adrian Mertens - , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Bernd Ebenhoch - , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Elizabeth von Hauff - , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) (Author)
  • Alexander Colsmann - , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Author)

Abstract

Tandem architectures are one of the most promising concepts towards superior power conversion efficiencies of organic solar cells. An accurate determination of the power conversion efficiency requires correction of the spectral mismatch and thus relies on accurate external quantum efficiency (EQE) spectra. Due to the series connection of 2 subcells in the tandem architecture, the EQE of the tandem solar cell reproduces the EQE of one subcell if an appropriate bias light is chosen to selectively illuminate and hence forward bias the other subcell. The resulting internal voltage drop is then compensated by applying an external voltage to the tandem solar cell. In this work, we use impedance spectroscopy to accurately predict the minimum bias light intensity and the external voltage to enable accurate EQE measurements on both subcells. We exemplify this procedure on organic tandem solar cells comprising spectrally complementary absorbers and suggest an extended protocol for future measurements of the EQE.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)763-777
Number of pages15
JournalProgress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications
Volume26
Issue number10
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2018
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • bias illumination, bias voltage, EQE, impedance spectroscopy, organic photovoltaics, tandem solar cell