GaAs nanowire/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells: Morphological and performance characterization

Abstract

In this study, a new type of hybrid solar cell based on a heterojunction between poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and vertically aligned n-type GaAs nanowire (NW) arrays is investigated. The GaAs NW arrays are fabricated by directly performing the nano-etching of GaAs wafer with spun-on SiO2 nanospheres as the etch mask through inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching. The PEDOT:PSS adheres to the surface of GaAs NW arrays to form a p-n junction. The morphology of GaAs NW arrays strongly influences the characteristics of the GaAs NW/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells. The suppression of reflectance and the interpenetrating heterojunction interface of GaAs NW arrays will offer great improvements in efficiency relative to a conventional planar cell. The power conversion efficiency of GaAs NW/PEDOT:PSS cells under AM 1.5 global one sun illumination can achieve 5.8 %. © 2010 IEEE.