Direct Measurements of Interfacial Photovoltage and Band Alignment in Perovskite Solar Cells Using Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

A heterojunction is the key junction for charge extraction in many thin film solar cell technologies. However, the structure and band alignment of the heterojunction in the operating device are often difficult to predict from calculations and, due to the complexity and narrow thickness of the interface, are difficult to measure directly. In this study, we demonstrate a technique for direct measurement of the band alignment and interfacial electric field variations of a fully functional lead halide perovskite solar cell structure under operating conditions using hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES). We describe the design considerations required in both the solar cell devices and the measurement setup and show results for the perovskite, hole transport, and gold layers at the back contact of the solar cell. For the investigated design, the HAXPES measurements suggest that 70% of the photovoltage was generated at this back contact, distributed rather equally between the hole transport material/gold interface and the perovskite/hole transport material interface. In addition, we were also able to reconstruct the band alignment at the back contact at equilibrium in the dark and at open circuit under illumination.

Automated summary

In this study, the band alignment and interfacial electric field variations of a fully functional lead halide perovskite solar cell structure under operating conditions were measured directly using hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES). The results showed that 70% of the photovoltage was generated at the back contact, with equal contributions from the hole transport material/gold interface and the perovskite/hole transport material interface.