Fabrication of PZT/CuO composite films and their photovoltaic properties

• Published in: Journal of sol-gel science and technology Vol. 87; no. 2; pp. 285 - 291
• Main Authors: Song, Yang, Li, Lingwei, Chen, Yuanqing, Li, Fengzhu, Qu, Wenwen, Wu, Huimin, Yerramilli, Aditya S., Alford, T. L., Zheng, Haiwu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ceramics; Chemistry and Materials Science; Composite structures; Composites; Contact resistance; Deoxidizing; Electric contacts; Electric fields; Energy conversion efficiency; Ferroelectric materials; Ferroelectricity; Glass; Holes (electron deficiencies); Inorganic Chemistry; Lead zirconate titanates; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Natural Materials; Optical and Electronic Materials; Original Paper: Devices based on sol-gel or hybrid materials; P-n junctions; Photoelectric effect; Photoelectric emission; Photoelectrons; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic effect; Sandwich structures; Short circuits; Sol-gel processes; Solar cells; Thin films; Zirconium; Photovoltaic effect; PZT; CuO; Ferroelectric thin film
• ISSN: 0928-0707; 1573-4846
• DOI: 10.1007/s10971-018-4727-6

The existence of the Schottky barriers at the top and bottom electrodes of the ferroelectric thin film sandwich structure makes it difficult to separate and collect electron-hole pairs, thus limiting the enhancement of the photocurrent. In this paper, Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 (PZT) and composite structure of PZT/CuO films are prepared by a sol-gel method and their photovoltaic properties have been investigated. It is found that the PZT/CuO films show a short circuit photocurrent density ( J SC ) enhanced by nearly 6 times and power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased by six-fold when compared to those of the PZT film. The increase of photovoltaic response is due to the internal electric field of PZT/CuO p–n junction, which plays an important role in driving the photo-generated carriers. The Ohmic contact between the interfaces of LNO/PZT and CuO/Pt also reduce the resistance of the transportation of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, the J SC of PZT/CuO film are observed to be 0.03 and 0.013 mA/cm 2 after upward poling and downward poling, respectively, indicating that the photocurrent can be modulated by the direction of the polarization electric field. The photovoltaic effect of composite films and its potential mechanism are also explored. This work provides an efficient approach to develop ferroelectric film based on photovoltaic devices. It is found that the PZT/CuO films show a short circuit photocurrent density (J SC ) enhanced by nearly 6 times and power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased by six-fold when compared to those of the PZT film. The increase of photovoltaic response is due to the internal electric field of PZT/CuO p–n junction which plays an important role in driving the photogenerated carriers. Highlights PZT/CuO composite films are prepared using sol-gel method The photocurrent is increased when PZT is combined with CuO The transport mechanism of the photoelectrons in PZT/CuO composite films is explored