AVS 61st International Symposium & Exhibition
    Energy Frontiers Focus Topic Tuesday Sessions
       Session EN-TuP

Paper EN-TuP10
Enhanced Photovoltaic Response of Pb0.95La0.05Zr0.54Ti0.46O3 Thin Film Based Solar Cells

Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 6:30 pm, Room Hall D

Session: Energy Frontiers Poster Session
Presenter: Vaishali Batra, University of Alabama
Authors: V. Batra, University of Alabama
G. Cabot, University of Alabama
S. Kotru, University of Alabama
Correspondent: Click to Email
Ferroelectrics materials have generated considerable interest in the field of ferroelectric photovoltaic (FE-PV) in recent years and are still being researched as potential alternative material for future photovoltaic applications. However, the PV response from these FE-PV devices is still very low. In this work, various approaches were adopted to improve the PV response from the FE-PV devices. The ferroelectric material used for fabricating the capacitor type solar cells was Pb0.95 La0.05Zr0.54Ti0.46 O3 PLZT) in thin film form, prepared using chemical solution deposition method. In one approach, a thin layer of lead titanate (PTO) was introduced as a seed layer to control the (001)/ (100) orientation and to suppress the (110) orientation of the PLZT films. Presence of seed layer was seen to show a remarkable effect on the ferroelectric and the photovoltaic properties of the devices. Another approach used was the incorporation of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) in PLZT matrix. The narrow band gap nanoparticles (NP) embedded in PLZT films enhances the optical absorption in Pt/PLZT/Pt by extending the absorption spectra from ultraviolet to a fraction of the visible light spectrum. Results showing the effect of seed layer and incorporation of NP on PLZT devices will be presented.