Influence of Fermi Level Alignment with Tin Oxide on the Hysteresis of Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract

We tune the Fermi level alignment between the SnO _x electron transport layer (ETL) and Cs_0.05(FA_0.83MA_0.17)_0.95Pb(I_0.83Br_0.17)₃ and highlight that this parameter is interlinked with current-voltage hysteresis in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Furthermore, thermally stimulated current measurements reveal that the depth of trap states in the ETL or at the ETL-perovskite interface correlates with Fermi level positions, ultimately linking it to the energy difference between the Fermi level and conduction band minimum. In the presence of deep trap states, charge accumulation and recombination at the interface are promoted, affecting the charge collection efficiency adversely, which increases the hysteresis of PSCs.