Enhanced efficiency of graphene/silicon heterojunction solar cells by molecular doping

Graphene (G) films were grown on copper foils by chemical vapor deposition and transferred onto n-type silicon (Si) to form G/Si Schottky heterojunction solar cells. The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the G/Si solar cells were in the range of 1.94–2.66%. Four volatile oxidants HNO3, HCl, H2O2 and SOCl2 were employed to treat the graphene films in the G/Si solar cells, and the PCEs could be greatly enhanced after being treated by all the volatile oxidants and SOCl2 doping showed the best improvement. A solar cell with an initial PCE of 2.45% could be increased to 5.95% upon SOCl2 doping treatment. The PCE stability of the volatile oxidant-treated cells was also investigated. The PCEs decreased with time, while SOCl2 and HCl showed much better PCE stability than HNO3 and H2O2.