Emily Griffin with Ken Singer
Aluminum zinc oxide transparent conductors for optical cavity enhanced polymer photovoltaics
Indium tin oxide is the ubiquitous transparent conductor used in all liquid crystal displays and thin film photovoltaic devices. Indium, however, is a rare and relatively expensive material, leading to intense research to replace it with more abundant materials. Aluminum zinc oxide (AZO) is a favored material for this purpose. We will study how AZO might be best used in polymer photovoltaic devices, building on past research examining strong coupling between the optical cavity modes defined by the electrodes and the semiconductor absorption. This project will focus on deposition and characterization of the optical properties of AZO as an electrode, where the optical constants of AZO will be determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. This data will be then used in optical transfer matrix simulations of device structures to study and optimize cavity/material interactions and device absorption. Devices based on these designs will be constructed and characterized. This understanding will help to increase the power conversion efficiency of polymer photovoltaic devices.