Photoelectric conversion element

• US 6,683,244 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fujimori, Yuji, Miyamoto, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAMOND, ALAN D
• Application Number:
  US10/002,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20020108649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 136/263, 136/256, 136/252, 429/111, 257/431, 257/43, 257/40
• US Class Current: 136/263
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/2031 comprising titanium oxide, e.g. TiO2 H01G9/2036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/151 the wide bandgap semiconductor comprising titanium oxide, e.g. TiO2
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/50 Photovoltaic [PV] devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/341 Transition metal complexes, e.g. Ru(II)polypyridine complexes H10K85/331 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/542 Dye sensitized solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells

Abstract

A solar cell including a first electrode, a second electrode arranged opposite to the first electrode, an electron transport layer arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode, a dye layer D which is in contact with the electron transport layer, a hole transport layer arranged between the electron transport layer and the second electrode and being in contact with the dye layer D, and a barrier layer, and these elements are provided on a substrate. The barrier layer prevents or suppresses short-circuit between the first electrode and the hole transport layer. The porosity of the barrier layer is made smaller than that of the electron transport layer. The barrier layer is formed into a film-like shape and arranged between the first electrode and the electron transport layer. The solar cell can accomplish excellent photoelectric conversion efficiency by the provision of such a barrier layer.

Claims

1. A photoelectric conversion element, comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode arranged opposite to the first electrode;

an electron transport layer arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode, at least a part of the electron transport layer being porous;

a dye layer which is in contact with the electron transport layer;

a hole transport layer arranged between the electron transport layer and the second electrode; and

short-circuit preventing moans, adjacent the first electrode, that prevents or suppresses a short-circuit between the first electrode and the hole transport layer;

the short-circuit preventing means including a barrier layer having a porosity smaller than the porosity of the electron transport layer, wherein when the porosity of the barrier layer is defined by A% and the porosity of the electron transport layer is defined by B%, the value of B/A is equal to or greater than 10.

2. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the porosity of the barrier layer is equal to or less than 2%.

3. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio of the thickness of the barrier layer with respect to the thickness of the electron transport layer is in the range of 1:

99 to 60;

40.

4. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the average thickness of the barrier layer is in the range of 0.01 to 10 μ

m.

5. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the barrier layer lies electric conductivity which is substantially the same as that of the electron transport layer.

6. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the barrier layer mainly comprises titanium oxide.

7. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is formed by means of a MOD method comprising a metal organic deposition or a metal organic decomposition.

8. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 7, wherein the barrier layer is formed using a barrier layer material when the barrier layer is formed by means of the MOD method, in which the barrier layer material contains a metal alkoxide and an additive having a function for stabilizing the metal alkoxide.

9. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 8, wherein the additive is a hydrolysis suppressing agent that suppresses hydrolysis of the metal alkoxide.

10. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resistance value in the thickness direction of the total of the barrier layer and the electron transport layer is equal to or greater than 100 kΩ

/cm².

11. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is disposed between the first electrode and the electron transport layer.

12. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 11, wherein the boundary between the barrier layer and the electron transport layer is unclear.

13. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 11, wherein the barrier layer and the electron transport layer are integrally formed with each other.

14. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein apart of the electron transport layer functions as the barrier layer.

15. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the short-circuit preventing means is a spacer which defines a space between the first electrode and the hole transport layer.

16. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 15, wherein when the average thickness of the spacer is defined by H μ

m, the maximum thickness of the hole transport layer is defined by h1 μ

m, and the total thickness of the electron transfer layer and the dye layer is defined by h2 μ

m, and the thicknesses are configured so as to satisfy the relationship represented by the formula of h1+h2>

H≧

h1.

17. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dye layer functions as a light receiving layer which generates electrons and holes when receiving light.

18. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electron transport layer has an outer surface and a number of holes each having an inner surface, and the dye layer is formed on the outer surface of the electron transport layer as well as along the inner surfaces of the holes.

19. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 17, wherein the electron transport layer has at least a function that transports the electrons generated in the dye layer.

20. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electron transport layer is formed into a film shape.

21. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 16, wherein the average thickness of the electron transport layer is in the range of 0.1 to 300 μ

m.

22. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the porosity of the electron transport layer is in the range of 5 to 90%.

23. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the electron transport layer is formed of an electron transport layer material in the form, of powder having an average particle size of 1 nm to 1 μ

m.

24. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the electron transport layer is formed of an electron transport layer material by means of a sol-gel method employing a sol liquid containing powder having an avenge particle size of 1 nm to 1 μ

m.

25. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 24, wherein the content of the powder of the electron transport material in the sol liquid is in the range of 0.1 to 10 wt %.

26. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electron transport layer is mainly formed of titanium dioxide.

27. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hole transport layer comprises a substance having ion conductive property.

28. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 27, wherein the substance having the ion conductive property is a metal halide compound.

29. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 28, wherein the metal halide compound comprises a metal iodide compound.

30. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 27, wherein the hole transport layer is formed by applying the hole transport material comprising the substance having the ion conductive property onto the dye layer by means of a coating method.

31. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 30, wherein the hole transport layer is formed by applying the hole transport layer material onto the dye layer while the dye layer is being heated.

32. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 30, wherein the hole transport layer material contains a crystal size coarse suppressing substance which suppresses increase in the crystal size of the substance having the ion conductive property when the substance having the ion conductive property crystallizes.

33. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 32, wherein the content of the crystal size coarse suppressing substance in the hole transport layer material is in the range of 1×

10<sup>−

1</sup> to 10 wt %.

34. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 32, wherein the crystal size coarse suppressing substance comprises thiocyanic acid salt.

35. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 32, wherein the crystal size coarse suppressing substance comprises ammonium halide.

36. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 32, wherein the crystal size coarse suppressing substance comprises cyanoethylate.

37. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 32, wherein the substance having the ion conductive property is a metal halide compound including a metal iodide compound, in which the crystal size coarse suppressing substance suppresses the increase in the crystal size of the metal iodide compound when the metal iodide compound crystallizes by being bonded to the metallic atoms of the metal iodide compound.

38. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 30, wherein the hole transport layer material contains a hole transport efficiency enhancing substance that enhances the transport efficiency of the holes.

39. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 38, wherein the content of the hole transport efficiency enhancing substance in the hole transport layer material is in the range of 1×

10<sup>−

4</sup> to 1×

10<sup>−

1</sup> wt %.

40. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 38, wherein the bole transport efficiency enhancing substance includes a halide.

41. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 40, wherein the halide is ammonium halide.

42. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a substrate for supporting the first electrode.

43. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first electrode and the second electrode are applied with a positive and a negative voltage, respectively, and when a voltage of 0.5V is applied across the electrodes, resistance in the photoelectric conversion element is larger than about 100 Ω

/cm².

44. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the photoelectric conversion efficiency for an angle of incidence of light on the dye layer of 90°

with respect to the surface and 52°

(which are respectively an angle defined between the direction of the light and the surface of the semiconductor) are designated by R₉₀ and R₅₂, respectively, the ratio R₅₂/R₉₀ is larger than 0.8.

45. The photoelectric conversion element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photoelectric conversion element is a solar cell.