Ultrathin molybdenum oxide anode buffer layer for organic photovoltaic cells formed using atomic layer deposition

In an organic photovoltaic (OPV) cell, the buffer layers connecting the active photovoltaic material to the electrodes strongly influence the overall energy conversion efficiency. In this work, we demonstrate that a thin layer (<4 nm) of MoO3 formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Mo, followed by oxidation in ozone, performs well as an anode buffer layer in organic photovoltaic cells based on a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester. Compared to the commonly used buffer layer poly(ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), the MoO3 layer causes virtually no degradation in the transmission spectrum. The improvement in optical transmission leads to higher short-circuit current density, and practically the same power conversion efficiency as OPV cells employing PEDOT:PSS. Results from a substantial number of devices indicate that the improvement is statistically significant, demonstrating the reproducibility and reliability of the layer. Moreover, because of the conformal nature of ALD, this approach can be extended to nanostructured systems.

► First demonstration of MoO3 buffer layer for OPV grown by atomic layer deposition.
► ALD MoO3 layer has substantially higher transparency than PEDOT:PSS.
► ALD allows highly conformal deposition, suitable for nanostructured electrodes.
► OPV devices fabricated with ALD MoO3 buffer layer perform at least as well as those with PEDOT:PSS.