Conversion efficiency improvement of inverted CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells with room temperature sputtered ZnO by adding the C60 interlayer

We have demonstrated the performance of inverted CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite-based solar cells (SCs) with a room temperature (RT) sputtered ZnO electron transport layer by adding fullerene (C-60) interlayer. ZnO exhibits a better matched conduction band level with perovskite and Al work function and around energy offset of 2.2 eV between highest occupied molecular orbital level of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite and valance band level of ZnO. However, the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite layer will be damaged during direct RT sputtering deposition of ZnO. Therefore, the C-60 interlayer having matched conduction band level with ZnO and CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite added between the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite and RT sputtered ZnO layers for protection prevents sputtering damages on the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite layer. The short-circuit current density (JSC, 19.41mA/cm(2)) and open circuit voltage (V-OC, 0.91V) of the SCs with glass/ITO/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene-sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS)/perovskite/C60/RT sputtered ZnO/Al structure is higher than the JSC (16.23 mA/cm(2)) and V-OC (0.90V) of the reference SC with glass/ITO/PEDOT:PSS/perovskite/C-60/bathocuproine (BCP)/Al structure. Although the SCs with the former structure has a lower fill factor (FF%) than the SCs with the latter structure, its conversion efficiency eta% (10.93%) is higher than that (10.6%) of the latter. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.