La-doped SnO2 as ETL for efficient planar-structure hybrid perovskite solar cells

Abstract SnO2 has attracted considerable attention in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to its excellent optical and electrical properties. However, a poor surface morphology, specifically with the presence of pinholes after the annealing process, limits its application in PSCs. To overcome the drawback of tin oxide, lanthanum (La) is herein first to be doped into the SnO2 layer, which is able to alleviate the SnO2 crystal aggregation and produce full-coverage and a uniform film. In addition, La:SnO2 can effectively reduce the band offset of the SnO2 layer, which results in the high Voc of 1.11 V. Systematic analyses revealed that the La:SnO2 layer enhances the electron extraction and suppresses charge recombination, leading to the power conversion efficiency (PCE) enhancement from 14.24% to 17.08%.