Hybrid photovoltaic junctions metal / molecular organic insulator / semiconductor, MOIS solar cells

Using a dense organic monolayer, self-assembled and directly bound to n-Si, as high quality insulator with a thickness that can be varied from 1.5-2.5 nm, we construct a Metal-Organic Insulator-Semiconductor (MOIS) structure, which, if fabricated with semi-transparent top electrode, performs as a hybrid organic-inorganic photovoltaic device. The feasibility of the concept and the electrical properties of the insulating layer were first shown with a Hg top electrode, allowing use of prior know-how from electron transport through molecular monolayers, but with photon collection only from around the electrode. We then used another bottom-up fabrication technique, in addition to molecular self-assembly, electro-less metal deposition, to implement an all-covalently bound solid state device. Electro-less Au deposition yields an electrically continuous, porous and semi-transparent top electrode, improving photon harvesting. Aside from being a nearly ideal insulator, the monolayer acts to passivate and protect the interfacial Si layer from defects and to decrease the surface state density. In addition the cell, like any MIS solar cell, benefits from that the light needs only to cross a few thin transparent layers (anti-reflective coating, organic insulator) to reach the photovoltaically active cell part. This helps to generate carriers close to the junction area, even by short wavelength photons, and, thus, to increase light collection, compared to p-n junction solar cells. While probably the most important use of MOIS cells will be to allow systematic exploration of directions for general MIS solar cell optimization, low temperature cell fabrication without high vacuum steps, may make this approach also interesting for low cost solar cells.