Transparent and flexible amorphous In-Si-O films for flexible organic solar cells

We report on transparent amorphous In-Si-O (ISO) electrodes for flexible organic solar cells (FOSCs). Effective Si doping into the In2O3 matrix led to a completely amorphous ISO film as well as a low sheet resistance of 51.91 Omega/sq and a high near-infrared optical transmittance of 81.51% (550 nm), and which are desirable electrode characteristics for FOSCs. In addition, the ISO film showed outstanding flexibility in outer and inner bending tests due to the stable amorphous structure. Based on x-ray absorption spectroscopy and high resolution transmission microscope examinations, detailed microstructure and electronic structure of amorphous ISO film were investigated. Furthermore, FOSCs with an amorphous ISO anode showed an open circuit voltage (0.578 V), short circuit current (7.641 mA/cm(2)), fill factor (62.96%), and power conversion efficiency (2.78%), indicating that ISO is a promising flexible amorphous transparent electrode for FOSCs. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4788687]