Toward Understanding the Built-in Field in Perovskite Solar Cells through Layer-by-Layer Surface Photovoltage Measurements

The built-in voltage (VBI) is a key parameter for solar cell operation, yet in perovskite solar cells the distribution, magnitude, and origin of the VBI remains poorly understood. In this work, we systematically studied the VBI in pin-type perovskite solar cells based on different hole transport layers (TLs). To this end, we determine the surface photovoltage (SPV) of partial and complete device stacks layer-by-layer by measuring the work function (WF) under dark and light (equivalent AM1.5G) conditions with Kelvin probe (KP) and photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) measurements in 3 different laboratories. We demonstrate that the SPV increases upon the addition of each additional layer until it equals the open-circuit voltage (VOC) of the full device. This suggests that both the electron and hole transport layer (HTL/ETL) enlarge the SPV, by improving the separation of photogenerated carriers. Yet, the contribution of both transport layers to the total SPV of the device is small (in the range of ≈100 to 200 meV) and the largest contribution to the SPV originates from the top metal electrode (≈500 meV). The results suggest that the VBI of pin-type perovskite solar cells is largely a result of the work-function difference of the electrodes. With regard to films (or incomplete cell stacks), our simulations can reproduce the measured SPV, and measured quasi-Fermi level splitting (>VOC) in partial cell stacks without a significant internal field consistent with the experimental data. This work establishes layer-by-layer SPV measurements, which are easily accessible, as a key tool for understanding device performance and internal energetics, similar to layer-by-layer QFLS measurements.