Photoelectric conversion element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11756743-B2
Application number	US-202117155628-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2021
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

A photoelectric conversion element may include a first substrate, a first transparent electrode disposed on the first substrate, a hole-blocking layer disposed on the first transparent electrode, an electron-transporting layer that is disposed on the hole-blocking layer and includes an electron-transporting semiconductor on a surface of which a photosensitizing compound is adsorbed, a hole-transporting layer that is connected to the electron-transporting layer and includes a hole-transporting material, and a second electrode disposed on the hole-transporting layer, wherein the photoelectric conversion element includes an output extraction terminal part configured to extract electricity out from the photoelectric conversion element, and the output extraction terminal part is formed with a plurality of micropores piercing through the hole-blocking layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A photoelectric conversion element, comprising:
a first substrate;
an output extraction terminal part comprising a plurality of micropores;
a first transparent electrode disposed on the first substrate;
a hole-blocking layer disposed on the first transparent electrode;
an electron-transporting layer disposed on the hole-blocking layer;
a hole-transporting layer comprising a hole-transporting material; and
a second electrode disposed on the hole-transporting layer,
wherein the output extraction terminal part has an exposed area of the first transparent electrode through the plurality of micropores configured to extract electricity out from the photoelectric conversion element,
wherein the plurality of micropores are formed in the hole-blocking layer, and the plurality of micropores pierce through the first transparent electrode to reach the first substrate, and
wherein openings of the plurality of micropores are circular shapes, a ratio of an average diameter of the micropores to an average pitch of minimum distances between the adjacent circular micropores is 31.8% or more and 60% or less, and the average pitch is 20 μm or more and 60 μm or less, and
wherein an average thickness of the first transparent electrode is 10 urn or greater but 1,000 nm or less.

2. The element of claim 1 , wherein the first transparent electrode is indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent film.

3. The element of claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric conversion element comprises a conductive material film formed on at least part of the output extraction terminal part to embed a conductive material in the plurality of micropores to perform extraction of output electricity.

4. The element of claim 1 , wherein the hole-blocking layer is a metal oxide semiconductor comprising titanium oxide, niobium oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, tungsten oxide, and/or tin oxide.

5. The element of claim 1 , wherein transmittance of a region of the hole-blocking layer where the micropores are not formed and the first transparent electrode to light having a wavelength of 500 nm is 70.0% or greater.

6. The element of claim 1 , wherein the hole-blocking layer comprises tin oxide.

7. The element of claim 1 , wherein the hole-blocking layer comprises titanium oxide.

8. The element of claim 1 , wherein the hole-blocking layer comprises niobium oxide.

9. The element of claim 1 , wherein the hole-blocking layer comprises aluminum oxide.

10. The element of claim 1 , wherein the hole-blocking layer comprises zinc oxide.

11. The element of claim 1 , wherein the hole-blocking layer comprises tungsten oxide.

12. The element of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a total opening area of the plurality of micropores to an area of the output extraction terminal part is 5% or greater and 60% or less.

13. The element of claim 1 , further comprising:
a series cell-connection feature, configured to connect the second electrode to the first transparent electrode,
wherein the series cell-connection feature is further formed with the plurality of micropores piercing through the hole-blocking layer.

14. The element of claim 13 , wherein a total resistance value of the output extraction terminal part and the series cell-connection feature is smaller than series resistance Rs of the photoelectric conversion element.

15. The element of claim 13 , wherein a ratio between a total area of micropores in the output extraction terminal part and the series cell-connection feature and an area of the output extraction terminal part and the series cell-connection feature is 16.4% or greater but less than 82.4%.

16. The element of claim 1 , wherein an average thickness of the hole-blocking layer is 5 nm or greater but 1,000 nm or less.

17. The element of claim 16 , wherein an average thickness of the hole-blocking layer is 10 nm or greater but 30 nm or less.

18. The element of claim 16 , wherein an average thickness of the hole-blocking layer is 500 nm or greater but 700 nm or less.

Assignees

• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsuyama Tsuyoshi
• Tanaka Yuuji
• Horiuchi Tamotsu
• Ide Takahiro
• Kino Tokushige
• Suzuki Shigeyo
• Kanei Naomichi

Classifications

• Y02E10/542

  Dye sensitized solar cells · CPC title

• H01G9/20

  Light-sensitive devices · CPC title

• H01G9/2059 Primary

  comprising an organic dye as the active light absorbing material, e.g. adsorbed on an electrode or dissolved in solution · CPC title

• H01G9/2027

  comprising an oxide semiconductor electrode · CPC title

• H01G9/204

  comprising zinc oxides, e.g. ZnO (H01G9/2036 takes precedence) · CPC title