Identification of different origins for s-shaped current voltage characteristics in planar heterojunction organic solar cells

We investigate different parameters influencing the occurrence of s-shaped current voltage (j-V) characteristics in planar heterojunction organic solar cells. It is shown how substrate modification, purity of the active organic material as well as variation of the top contact can affect the shape of the j-V curves. The studies are performed on vacuum-evaporated planar heterojunction solar cells with diindenoperylene (DIP) as electron donor and fullerene C-60 as acceptor. The focus is on the fill factor and forward current being the most direct indicators for s-shapes in j-V curves. We find that the main effect of substrate heating during film growth can be assigned to changes in energy barriers rather than to the modification of morphology and crystallinity, which is also influenced by elevated substrate temperatures. The decisive role of the barrier height between the anode work function and the HOMO (i.e., highest occupied molecular orbital) level of the donor is approved by comparing hole-injection layers with different work functions. By using donor materials of different purity we find a correlation between charge carrier mobilities and fill factors. Finally, it is demonstrated that an exciton blocking interlayer is essential to get high fill factors when aluminum is used as top contact, but is dispensable for samarium as cathode material. This finding can be ascribed to the protective effect of the interlayer from aluminum diffusion into the active semiconductor rather than to its role as exciton diffusion barrier. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3692050]