USRE39967EExpiredUtility

Solid-state photoelectric device

47
Assignee: UNIV COLUMBIAPriority: Oct 9, 1998Filed: May 29, 2003Granted: Jan 1, 2008
Est. expiryOct 9, 2018(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Joshua S. Salafsky
H10W 90/732H10W 90/00Y02E10/50Y02E10/549H10K 30/50H10K 30/151H10F 77/162H10F 77/00H10K 85/114
47
PatentIndex Score
2
Cited by
48
References
26
Claims

Abstract

A solid state photovoltaic device is formed on a substrate and includes a photoactive channel layer interposed between a pair of electrodes. The photoactive channel layer includes a first material which absorbs light and operates as a hole carrier. Within the first material are nanoparticles of a second material which operate as electron carriers. The nanoparticles are distributed within the photoactive channel layer such that, predominantly, the charge path between the two electrodes at any given location includes only a single nanocrystal. Because a majority of electrons are channeled to the electrodes via single nanocrystal conductive paths, the resulting architecture is referred to as a channel architecture.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1. A photoelectric device, comprising:
 a substrate:  
 a first electrode formed on said substrate;  
 a second electrode spaced apart from and being in opposing relationship to the first electrode; and  
 a photoactive channel layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, said  the photoactive channel layer including a hole carrying material with  and semiconductor particulate material including  nanoparticles having an average diameter therein, said hole carrying material having a thickness in the range of one to two times the average diameter of the nanoparticles; and , wherein an average distribution of the semiconductor nanoparticles within the photoactive channel layer is such that predominantly, only a single nanoparticle is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode along any straight- line path extending between oppositely - situated locations of the first and second electrodes    
 a second electrode; said photoactive channel layer being interposed between said first and second electrodes .  
 
     
     
       2. The photoelectric device according to  claim 1  wherein said hole carrying material is a conjugated polymer material. 
     
     
       3. The photoelectric device according to  claim 2  wherein said polymer is poly(p-phenylene vinylene). 
     
     
       4. The photoelectric device according to  claim 3  wherein the nanoparticles are titanium dioxide. 
     
     
       5. The photoelectric device according to  claim 1  wherein the photoactive layer includes a dyestuff material. 
     
     
       6. The photoelectric device according to  claim 1  wherein said substrate and said first electrode are formed from a material which transmits at least a portion of incident light to said photoactive channel layer. 
     
     
       7. The photoelectric device according to  claim 6  wherein the substrate material is glass. 
     
     
       8. The photoelectric device according to  claim 6  wherein the first electrode material is a transparent conducting oxide. 
     
     
       9. The photoelectric device according to  claim 1  wherein the second electrode is formed from a material which transmits at least a portion of incident light to said photoactive channel layer. 
     
     
       10. The photoelectric device according to  claim 9  wherein the second electrode material is a transparent conducting oxide. 
     
     
       11. The photoelectric device according to  claim 1  wherein the substrate, first electrode, second electrode and photoactive channel layer are formed from mechanically flexible materials. 
     
     
       12. A photoelectric device comprising
 a substrate;  
 a first electrode formed on said substrate;  
 a second electrode spaced apart from and being in opposing relationship to the first electrode;  
 a first photoactive channel layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the photoactive channel layer including a hole carrying material and semiconductor nanoparticles, wherein an average distribution of the semiconductor nanoparticles within the first photoactive channel layer is such that predominantly, only a single nanoparticle is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode along any straight- line path extending between oppositely - situated locations of the first and second electrodes;    
 a second electrode, said first photoactive channel layer being interposed between said first and second electrodes; 
 an electrical insulating layer, said insulating layer being formed on said second electrode;  
 a third electrode disposed over said insulating layer;  
 a second photoactive channel layer; and  
 a fourth electrode, said second photoactive channel layer being interposed between said third and fourth electrodes.  
 
     
     
       13. The photoelectric device according to  claim 12  wherein at least one of said first and second photoactive channel layers includes a conjugated polymer material and a semiconductor particulate material. 
     
     
       14. The photoelectric device according to  claim 13  wherein the semiconductor particulate material includes nanoparticles having an average diameter and wherein the conjugated polymer material has a thickness in the range of one to two times the average diameter of the nanoparticles. 
     
     
       15. The photoelectric device according to  claim 14  wherein said first photoactive channel layer is responsive to incident light in a first spectral range and said second photoactive channel layer is responsive to incident light in a second spectral range. 
     
     
       16. The photoelectric device according to  claim 15  wherein the nanoparticles in at least one of said first and second channel layers are titanium dioxide. 
     
     
       17. The photoelectric device according to  claim 16  wherein the polymer material of one of said first and second photoactive channel layers is PPV and the other of said first and second photoactive channel layers is MEH-PPV. 
     
     
       18. The photoelectric device according to  claim 12  wherein at least one of the photoactive layers includes a dyestuff material. 
     
     
       19. The photoelectric device according to  claim 12  wherein said substrate, said first electrode, said first photoactive channel layer, said second electrode and said insulating layer are formed from materials which transmit at least a portion of incident light to said second photoactive channel layer. 
     
     
       20. The photoelectric device according to  claim 19  wherein the substrate material is glass. 
     
     
       21. The photoelectric device according to  claim 19  wherein the electrode materials are transparent conducting oxide. 
     
     
       22. The photoelectric device according to  claim 12  wherein the fourth electrode is formed from a material which transmits at least a portion of incident light to said second photoactive channel layer. 
     
     
       23. The photoelectric device according to  claim 22  wherein the fourth electrode material is a transparent conducting oxide. 
     
     
       24. The photoelectric device according to  claim 12  wherein the device is mechanically flexible. 
     
     
       25. The photoelectric device of  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles have an average dimension along a direction extending between the first and the second electrodes, and wherein the photoactive channel layer has a thickness in the range of one to two times the average dimension of the nanoparticles. 
     
     
       26. The photoelectric device of  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles have a spheroidal morphology having an average diameter.

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