IP Library Granted Patent US 12,575,249
Granted Patent B2
US 12,575,249 · App. 17/819,384 · Granted Mar 10, 2026

Optoelectronic devices and methods of making the same

Inventors: Axel Finn Palmstrom (Golden, CO); Tomas Leijtens (Emerald Hills, CA); Joseph Jonathan Berry (Boulder, CO)
Assignee: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
H10K30/20H10K30/15H10K30/211H10K30/30H10K85/1135H10K85/151H10K85/211H10K85/50H10K30/40H10K50/15H10K50/16H10K2102/00H10K2102/351
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,575,249
App. No.
17/819,384
Granted
Mar 10, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a device that includes a first layer that includes at least one of a semiconducting material, a hole transport material (HTM), and/or an electron transport material (ETM), a second layer, and a third layer that includes a material that is at least one of transparent or conductive, where the second layer is positioned between the first layer and the third layer, the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are in electrical contact with each other, and the third layer has a first thickness between greater than zero nm and about 100 nm. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the semiconducting material may include a perovskite.

Claims (40)

1. A method comprising:

exposing a first layer to at least one of ozone or ultraviolet light; and

a first depositing by a vapor phase method of a second layer onto the first layer, wherein:

the second layer comprises a metal oxide, and the second layer has a thickness between greater than zero nm and 500 nm.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer comprises a carbon-containing material.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carbon-containing material comprises at least one of a fullerene, graphene, or a carbon nanotube.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer comprises a material comprising a functional group comprising at least one of a hydroxyl group or an amine.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the functional group further comprises at least one of an alkane, an alkene, an alkyne, an aromatic, a thiol, a phosphate, an imine, a carboxylic acid, an amide, an ester, an acyl phosphate, a nitrile, a halide, an ether, a ketone, a sulfide, an acid halide, an acid anhydride, an epoxide, or a nitro functional group.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer comprises

and R comprises at least one of an organic component or an inorganic component.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first layer comprises

R comprises at least one of —CH 2 CH 2 NR′ 2 , —H, or —CH 2 CH 2 OH,

R′ comprises at least one of a hydrocarbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, or a halogen, and

n is between 1 and 100,000.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer comprises poly(ethylenimine) ethoxylated (PEIE).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is derived from a metal halide.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the metal halide comprises at least one of a tin halide, a zinc halide, a titanium halide, or a lead halide.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the tin halide comprises at least one of SnI 2 , SnF 2 , SnBr 2 , SnCl 2 , SnI 4 , SnBr 4 , SnCl 4 , or SnF 4 .

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first layer is derived from at least one of Si(OR 1 ) 3 R 2 , SiX 3 R 2 , or PO 3 H 2 R 2 ,

R 1 and R 2 comprise at least one of an alkyl group, an amine, an amide, a carboxylic acid group, or a sulfide, and

X comprises a halogen.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer comprises at least one of choline chloride, an amino acid, glycine, 5-aminovaleric acid, methyl violagen, tyramine, or an amine-containing compound.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the amine-containing compound further comprises at least one of an alkane, an alkene, an alkyne, an aromatic, a hydroxyl, a thiol, an amine, a phosphate, an imine, a carboxylic acid, an amide, an ester, an acyl phosphate, a nitrile, a halide, an ether, a ketone, a sulfide, an acid halide, an acid anhydride, an epoxide, or a nitro functional group.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vapor phase method comprises at least one of chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition (ALD), metal organic chemical vapor deposition, thermal evaporation, pulsed laser deposition, vapor transport deposition, sputter deposition, or molecular layer deposition.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vapor phase method is ALD.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the first depositing, an initial depositing of the first layer onto a perovskite layer.

18. A method comprising:

exposing a first layer to at least one of ozone or ultraviolet light; and

depositing a metal oxide layer onto the first layer, wherein:

the depositing is performed using a vapor phase method,

the first layer comprises at least one of poly(ethylenimine) ethoxylated, a fullerene, graphene, a carbon nanotube, a tin halide, a zinc halide, a titanium halide, a lead halide, choline chloride, an amino acid, glycine, 5-aminovaleric acid, methyl violagen, tyramine, an amine-containing compound, Si(OR 1 ) 3 R 2 , SiX 3 R 2 , or PO 3 H 2 R 2 ,

R 1 and R 2 independently comprise at least one of an alkyl group, an amine, an amide, a carboxylic acid group, or a sulfide,

X comprises a halogen,

the first layer has a thickness between greater than zero nm and about 10 nm, and

the metal oxide layer has a thickness between greater than zero nm and about 50 nm.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the vapor phase method is atomic layer deposition.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the metal oxide comprises at least one of zinc oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, or tin oxide.

21. The method of claim 18 , further comprising, prior to the exposing, depositing the first layer onto at least one of a charge transport layer or a perovskite layer.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 16, 2025
From: ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC
To: ALLIANCE FOR ENERGY INNOVATION, LLC
Reel/Frame 073993/0276 →
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded May 9, 2023
From: NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 063585/0053 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 12, 2022
From: PALMSTROM, AXEL FINN; LEIJTENS, TOMAS; BERRY, JOSPEH JONATHAN; MOORE, DAVID TODD
To: ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC
Reel/Frame 060794/0549 →