Abstract Inverted organic photovoltaic solar cells were fabricated with the configuration of FTO/TiO2/P3HT:PC61BM/MoO3/Ag. Besides, the influence of transport layers, titanium dioxide and molybdenum trioxide, on the performance of solar cells were investigated. These compounds showed excellent optical (around 80% for molybdenum trioxide and 95% for titanium dioxide), electrical (like charge carrier density of 3.3 x1015 cm-3 and 2.5 x1014 cm-3 for titanium and molybdenum, respectively) and structural (anatase and amorphous hexagonal phase for titanium and molybdenum, respectively) properties to be used as transport layers. Also the influence of the thickness of the electron transport layer is studied, as well as the thickness, temperature and heat treatment time of the active layer. The correct selection of TiO2’s thickness (70 nm) and active layer’s thickness (250 nm) and annealing (at 100 degrees for 8 minutes) can increase the power conversion efficiency. Moreover, the cell fabricated with transport layers and the best conditions found showed a maximum efficiency of 3.3%, which indicates that the titanium dioxide and molybdenum trioxide played a determining role in the solar cell performance.

Cadmium peroxide films were grown by chemical bath deposition on glass slides at 50 °C using CdCl2 as cadmium source. Films were deposited at different nominal cadmium concentrations. As-grown films were annealed in air at 300 °C for obtaining cadmium oxide thin films. The structural, morphological, optical and compositional properties of CdO films were analyzed in terms of the cadmium nominal composition and the annealing effect.

SnO2:F thin films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering onto glass substrates using SnF2 as fluorine source. The films were deposited under a mixed argon/hydrogen atmosphere at a substrate temperature of 500°C. The X-ray diffraction shows that polycrystalline films were grown with a phases mixture of SnO2 and SnO. The optical transmittance is between 80 and 90%. The physical properties of the films suggest that SnO2 thin films grown with small SnF2 content in the target can be considered as candidates for transparent electrodes.