Fabrication of visible‐light transparent solar cells composed of NiO/Ni_xZn_1‐xO/ZnO heterostructures

Abstract

Visible‐light transparent solar cells were fabricated using p ‐type NiO and n ‐type ZnO by conventional RF reactive sputtering with NiZnO alloy as an intrinsic interlayer. The energy band diagrams of NiO/NiZnO/ZnO heterojunctions were revealed by photoelectron yield spectroscopy, and the band gap energies were estimated to be 1.2 eV for NiO/Ni0.4Zn0.6O and 0.6 eV for Ni0.4Zn0.6O/ZnO heterojunctions. By using In2O3:Sn (ITO) as a transparent electrode in NiO‐based visible‐light transparent solar cells, a small but noticeable photovoltaic effect was obtained. The short‐circuit current density (Jsc) increased from 4 μA/cm2 to 12 μA/cm2 due to the insertion of Ni0.4Zn0.6O interlayer. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

All Transparent Metal Oxide Ultraviolet Photodetector

“…Due to its versatile material properties, NiO material has been used in a variety of applications, such as energy conversion (anode buffer layer in organic solar cells, transparent solar cells, piezoelectric nanogenerator, and photoelectrochemical cells), energy storage (Li‐ion batteries, rechargeable batteries, and supercapacitors), light generation (Light‐emitting devices and double‐side electroluminescence, electronic circuits (transparent conducting layers, transparent diodes, switching, memory,) and logic circuits, and energy sensing (gas sensors, multispectral photodetectors, and UV photodetectors (please refer Table 1 )).…”

Enhanced image sensing with avalanche multiplication in hybrid structure of crystalline selenium photoconversion layer and CMOSFETs

“…NiO is a highly promising p-type transparent semiconductor. Owing to the specific characteristics of a wide optical bandgap and a wide-range of tunable carrier concentrations, NiO has been used in a variety of applications, such as visible–transparent UV photodetectors 43 , 44 , visible–transparent solar cells 45 , 46 , and UV–Vis light-emitting diodes 37 , 47 , 48 .…”

Electrochemical Deposition of Transparent p‐Type Semiconductor NiO

“…For example, Ohta and colleagues fabricated a transparent n‐ZnO/p‐NiO heterojunction using a pulsed laser deposition method combined with a solid phase epitaxy technique, and confirmed the rectifying property thereof by I‐V measurement . Also, Kawade and colleagues fabricated an NiO/Ni x Zn 1‐x O/ZnO pn heterojunction using a reactive sputtering method . Moreover, Karsthof and colleagues fabricated a heterojunction with ZnO having a transmittance of 46% in the visible light region using pulsed laser deposition and dc magnetron sputtering .…”

“…Among the many studies on NiO, those related to electrochromic materials and battery electrode materials are the most prominent. In addition, efforts have been made to form pn heterojunctions with ZnO and the like, using NiO as a UV photoelectric conversion element (transparent solar cell) . For example, Ohta and colleagues fabricated a transparent n‐ZnO/p‐NiO heterojunction using a pulsed laser deposition method combined with a solid phase epitaxy technique, and confirmed the rectifying property thereof by I‐V measurement .…”