Organic solar cells have caught considerable attention in the past few years due to their potential for providing environmentally safe, flexible, lightweight, inexpensive, and roll-to-roll feasible production solar cells. However, the efficiency achieved in current organic solar cells is quite low, yet quick and successive improvements render it as a promising alternative. A hopeful approach to improve the efficiency is by exploiting the tandem concept which consists of stacking two or more organic solar cells in series. One important constituent in tandem solar cells is the middle electrode layer which is transparent and functions as a cathode for the first cell and an anode for the second cell. Most studies done so far have employed noble metals such as gold or silver as the middle electrode layer; however, they suffered from several shortcomings especially with respect to reproducibility. This thesis focuses on studying a new trend which employs an oxide material based on nano-particles as a transparent cathode (such as Zinc-oxide-nano-particles) along with a transparent anode so as to replace the middle electrode. Thus, this work presents a study on solution processable zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures, their proper handling techniques, and their potential as a middle electrode material in Tandem solar cells in many different configurations involving both polymer and small molecule materials. Moreover, the ZnO-np potential as a candidate for acceptor material is also investigated.

The focus of this thesis is on the optimization and fabrication of p-i-n amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells both on glass and transparent plastic substrates. These solar cells are specifically fabricated on transparent substrates to facilitate the integration of thin film batteries with these solar cells. To comply with plastic substrates, different silicon layers are optimized at the low processing temperature of 135 C. In the first part of the optimization process, the structural, electronic, and optical properties of boron- and phosphorous-doped, hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at the substrate temperature of 135 C are elaborated. Additionally, in this part, the deposition of protocrystalline silicon (pc-Si) films on glass substrates are investigated. In the device integration and fabrication part of this thesis, the optimization process is continued by fabricating single junction devices with different hydrogen dilution ratios for the cell absorber layer. The optimum device performance is achieved with an absorber layer right at the transition from amorphous to microcrystalline silicon. To further improve the performance of the fabricated solar cells, amorphous silicon carbide buffer layers are introduced between the nc-Si p-layer and the undoped pc-Si absorber layer. Single junction p-p'-i-n solar cells are fabricated and characterized both on glass and plastic substrates. Our measurements show conversion efficiencies of 7.0% and 6.07% for the cells fabricated on glass and plastic substrates, respectively. In the last part of this research, the light trapping enhancement in amorphous silicon solar cells using Distributed Bragg Reflectors (DBRs) are experimentally demonstrated. Reflectance characteristics of DBR test structures, consisting of amorphous silicon (a-Si) / amorphous silicon nitride (SiN) film stacks are analysed and compared with those of conventional ZnO/Al back reflectors. DBR optical measurements show that the average total reflectance over the wavelength region of 600-800 nm is improved by 28% for DBR back structures. Accordingly, single junction amorphous silicon solar cells with DBR and Al back reflectors are fabricated both on glass and plastic substrates. Our results show that the short-circuit current density and consequently the conversion efficiency is enhanced by 10% for the cells fabricated on textured transparent conductive oxide substrates. In addition, these DBR back structures are designed and employed to improve the efficiency of semi-transparent solar cells. In this application, the optimized DBR structures are designed to be optically transparent for the part of the visible range and highly reflective for the red and infra-red part of the spectrum. Using these DBR structures, the efficiency of the optimum semi-transparent solar cell is enhanced by 5%.

Over the last few decades, bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices comprising an intimately mixed donor-acceptor blend have gained serious attention due to their potential for being cheap, light weight, flexible and environmentally friendly. In this thesis, APFO-3/PCBM bulk-heterojunction based organic photovoltaic devices with an inverted layer sequence were investigated systematically. Doctor blade coating is a technique that is roll-to-roll compatible and cost efficient and has been used to fabricate the solar cells. Initial studies focused on optimization of the electrodes. A thin film of the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS was chosen to be the transparent anode. Different PEDOT:PSS films with respect to the film thickness and deposition temperature were characterized in terms of conductivity and transmission. Decent conductance and transmittance were obtained in the films deposited with wet film thickness setting of 35 μm, The cathode was fabricated from a metal bilayer comprising Al and Ti with an area about 1 cm2, and the best-working cathodes contained a 70 nm thick Al layer covered by a thin Ti layer of about 10 -15 nm. Optimized coating temperature and wet film thickness settings for the active layer and PEDOT:PSS layer were experimentally determined. The highest efficiency of the APFO-3/PCBM based inverted solar cells fabricated by doctor blading was 0.69%, which exceeded the efficiency of spin-coated inverted cells. A higher efficiency (0.8 %) was achieved by adding a small amount of high molecular weight polystyrene to the active layer. Morphological changes after adding of the polystyrene were observed by optical microscopy and AFM. A coating temperature dependent phase separation of the APFO-3/PCBM/polystyrene blend was found.

This project is an extension of a pre-existing simulation program (‘Simulation_2dioden’). This simulation program was first developed in Konarka Technologies. The main purpose of the project ‘Simulation_2dioden’ is to calibrate the values of different parameters like, Shunt resistance, Series resistance, Ideality factor, Diode current, epsilon, tau, contact probability, AbsCT, intensity, etc; This is one of the curve fitting procedure’s. This calibration is done by using different equations. Diode equation is one of the main equation’s used in calculating different currents and voltages, from the values generated by diode equation all the other parameters are calculated. The reason for designing this simulation_2dioden is to calculate the values of different parameters of a device and the researcher would know which parameter effects more in the device efficiency, accordingly they change the composition of the materials used in the device to acquire a better efficiency. The platform used to design this project is ‘Microsoft Excel’, and the tool used to design the program is ‘Visual basics’. The program could be otherwise called as a ‘Virtual Solar cell’. The whole Virtual Solar cell is programmed in a single excel sheet. An Automated working solution is suggested which could save a lot of time for the researchers, which is the main aim of this project. To calibrate the parameter values, one has to load the J-V characteristics and simulate the program by just clicking one button. And the parameters extracted by using this automated simulation are Parallel resistance, Series resistance, Diode ideality, Saturation current, Contact properties, and Charge carrier mobility. Finally, a basic working solution has been initiated by automating the simulation program for calibrating the parameter values.

A novel ionic liquid crystal (ILC) system (C18IMCNBr) with a liquid crystal alignment used as an electrolyte for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) showed the higher short-circuit current density (Jsc) and the higher light-to-electricity conversion efficiency than the system using the non- alignment liquid crystalline ionic liquid (C18IMCNBr),due to the higher conductivity of liquid crystal alignment. The larger Jsc and efficiency value of liquid crystal alignment supported that the higher conductivity of liquid crystal alignment is attributed to the enhancement of the exchange reaction between iodide species. As a result of formation of the two-dimensional electron conductive pathways organized by the localized I3- and I- at liquid crystal alignment layers, the concentration of polyiodide species exemplified by Im- (m =5,7, ...) was higher in alignment C18IMCNBr. However, in the two-dimensional electron conductive pathways of C18IMCNBr, more collision frequencies between iodide species (I-,I3-, and Im-) could be achieved than that in the three-dimensional space of C18IMCNBr, which could lead to the promotion of the exchange reaction between iodide species, the contribution of a two-dimensional structure of the conductive pathway through the increase of collision frequency between iodide species was proposed.

We proposed a flexible electronics with functional poly (arylene ether)s and discotic liquid crystal. Firstly, we provided a series of the PAE polymer with remarkable thermal stability and high optical transmittance. The PAEs were synthesized via nucleophilic displacement as polymerization on a 2-trifluoromethyl-activated bisfluoro monomer, which reacted with bisphenols. Thermal analysis indicated the PAEs possessed a high glass transition point of ~300¢J and the decomposition temperature Td=500¢J at a weight loss of 5%. Additionally, high transmittance of 85%, low dielectric constant of ~2.0, and well mechanical property of the PAE films were experimentally verified, as a high potential substrate for flexible electronics. Two kind of device structure has been prepared, were organic thin film solar cell and Dye sensitized solar cell. Furthermore, we provided the self-assembled triphenylene-based liquid crystal and its polymer derivative to apply for photovoltics. The 2, 3, 6, 7-tetra-6-octyloxydibenzo[a,c]phenazine-11-carboxylic group and the polymer of merging with disc-unit and polyacrylamide. Both show a highly isotropic phase transition point of ~270¢J and the decomposition temperature Td~450¢J at a weight loss of 5%. The specific absorption in visible light region was at 200 - 450 nm. A distinct self-arrangement of columnar array was investigated by optical textures. The self-arranged pathway enhanced carrier mobility due to £k-£k conjugation in hexagonal column stacking. Finally, the PAEs and DLC materials applied to thin film solar cell (ITO/PEDOT:PSS/DLC-PAM/P3HT:PCBM/Al) as hole transporting layer. The photo-conversion efficiency was strong depending on organic compounds, such as molecular structure, photo-physic and chemical properties. On the basis of integrated characteristics, it suggested a high potential as flexible electronics for photovoltics.

The purpose of the thesis is to investigate the improvement of single-crystal Si solar cell efficiency using porous Indium tin oxide (ITO)/ITO double layer antireflection(AR) coating. The resistivity, transmittance and refraction index of the porous ITO films prepared by supercritical CO2 treatment were investigated. At a 2000 psi pressure and 60¡CC, the resistivity of porous ITO films is 15 £[-cm, the average transmittance is better than 95 %, and the refraction index is 1.54. In addition, the resistivity of ITO thin films fabricated by reactive ratio-frequency magnetron sputtering is 7¡Ñ10-4 £[-cm, the average transmittance are 85 %, and the refraction index is 2.0. For the single crystal-Si solar cell with porous ITO/ITO double layer AR coating, the open circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor and efficiency are measured.

Since the discovery of the photovoltaic effect in bulk heterojunction devices¡Mthe considerable publications in PSCs have been reported¡OPSCs based on the concept of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) configuration where active layer comprises of a p-type donor (conjugated polymer) and a n-type acceptor (fullerene derivative) materials¡Mrepresents the most useful strategy to maximize the internal donor-acceptor interface area allowing for efficient charge separation¡OTo further enhance the power conversion efficiency from solar cells made of poly(3-hexylthiophene)/[6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PCBM) ¡M a new conducting polymer with optimized band energy levels are demonstrated to be one of the key properties¡OIn this study¡MI synthesized a soluble and strongly visible-light absorbing alternating conducting polymer using Suzuki coupling polymerization method¡OThe UV-Vis absorption spectra of copolymer contains an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) transition band¡Mwhich leads to absorption extending to near-infrared region and optical band gaps is 1.55 eV¡OThe photo-electron spectroscopy in air(PESA) measurements show that the HOMO level of the polymer is ~5.0eV which is lower than P3HT¡O

The purpose of our research is growing the coupled InGaAs quantum dots on the n-type substrate by molecular beam epitaxy in laboratory, and we choose 5,10 and 15 nanometers to be the thicknesses of GaAs spacer between the quantum dots layer. Due to the couple effect, we hope to realize the theorem of intermediate band proved by Luque and Marti. We measure the characteristic of samples by electroluminescence spectra, photoelectric current spectra, electrical absorption spectra and electro reflectance spectra in laboratory; moreover, we acquire the basic parameters of solar cell by AM1.5G for analyzing. From the basic parameters of solar cell, we know that the quantum dots can enhance the photocurrent by absorbing additional photons , however, the strain caused by quantum dots would decay the open voltage seriously, so that the efficiency always under the baseline. Each efficiency of 9-stack QDs are 4.3%(c494),5.1%(c519),5.3% (c520),and each efficiency of 9-stack Dwells are 3.9%(c524),4.2%(c525),4.7%(c526), and 10-stack QDs(5nm) is 2.9%(c514),and 12-stack QDs(10nm) is 4.48%(c538),and 12-stack QDs(15nm) is 5.89%. The break through of this paper is that the efficiency of c529¡]VOC=0.64V,JSC=11.97mA/cm2,FF=67%,£b=5.89%¡^is higher than GaAs¡]VOC =0.87 V, JSC =7.4 mA/cm2,FF=72.3%,£b=5.6%¡^,and we attribute this performance to its good quality of miniband, because the current can be enhanced a lot, and it will make up for the lose of open voltage and filling factor, so that the efficiency can be higher than GaAs baseline.

The study proposed a high efficient dye sensitize solar cell (DSSC) by embedding liquid crystal in liquid electrolyte. When liquid crystal molecules was disperse in the liquid electrolyte, the light-scattering occur due to refractive index mismatching by randomly oriented liquid crystal droplets. The light-scattering allows solar light have longer optical path length within the solar cell and therefore enhances light-trapping efficiency of N719 dye. The experiment results reveal that the DSSC with the liquid crystal concentration of 20 wt% have best electric conversion efficiency. Moreover, the study also introduces chloseteric liquid crystal to the liquid electrolyte of a DSSC and compare with nematic liquid crystal embedded DSSC. The cholesteric liquid crystal with periodic helical structure in the liquid electrolyte provides not only light-scattering but also selective reflection. Compared with nematic liquid crystal embedded DSSC, the cholesteric liquid crystal embeded DSSC has a more large light-trapping efficiency due to combined effects of light scattering and selective reflection. Besides, when the reflective band (480~580nm) of cholesteric liquid crystal is matched to the absorption spectrum of N719 dye, the DSSC has better photoexcitation of dye and photovoltaic performance.