IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,433,148
Granted Patent B2
US 12,433,148 · App. 18/066,628 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Optoelectronic devices and methods of making the same

Inventors: Axel Finn Palmstrom (Golden, CO); Tomas Leijtens (Emerald Hills, CA); Joseph Jonathan Berry (Boulder, CO); David Todd Moore (Arvada, CO); Giles Edward Eperon (Arvada, CO)
Assignees: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC; Swift Solar, Inc.
H10K85/151H10K30/15H10K30/30H10K85/1135H10K85/211H10K50/15H10K50/16H10K2102/00H10K2102/351
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,433,148
App. No.
18/066,628
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
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 (27)

1. A device comprising, in order:

a first layer comprising a first perovskite;

a second layer comprising an electron transport material (ETM);

a third layer comprising an acid anhydride;

a fourth layer comprising a metal oxide deposited directly on the third layer, wherein:

the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and the fourth layer are in electrical contact with each other,

the third layer has a thickness between greater than zero nm and about 50 nm,

the fourth layer has a thickness between greater than zero nm and about 50 nm, and

the ETM comprises at least one of a structured carbon or an organic molecule.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the third layer is between greater than zero nm and about 20 nm.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the acid anhydride comprises a dianhydride.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the dianhydride comprises at least one of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride, 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride, bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic dianhydride, or pyromellitic dianhydride.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the metal oxide comprises at least one of zinc oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, indium oxide, cadmium oxide, or tin oxide.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the fourth layer has an electrical sheet resistance laterally across the plane of the fourth layer between 1 KOhm/sq and 10 MOhm/sq.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the third layer results in the device having at least one improved physical property or performance metric.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the improved physical property or performance metric comprises improved bonding of the fourth layer to the second layer as demonstrated by a shift in at least one of an oxygen peak, a metal peak, or a carbon peak, as detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the improved physical property or performance metric comprises improved bonding of the fourth layer to the second layer as demonstrated by emersion of the device in pure dimethylformamide for about 30 seconds at about room temperature.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the improved physical property or performance metric comprises improved bonding of the fourth layer to the second layer as demonstrated by improved fracture toughness as demonstrated by a tensile stress test.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the ETM comprises a fullerene.

12. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a fifth layer comprising a second perovskite, wherein:

the fourth layer is positioned between the third layer and the fifth layer,

the first perovskite has a first bandgap, and

the second perovskite has a second bandgap that is different from the first bandgap.

13. The device of claim 5 , wherein the zinc oxide is doped with at least one of aluminum or indium.

14. The device of claim 5 , wherein the oxide comprises tin oxide and the thickness of the fourth layer is between 10 nm and 20 nm.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is flexible.

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 Jul 31, 2023
From: NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 064441/0184 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 13, 2023
From: PALMSTROM, AXEL FINN; BERRY, JOSEPH JONATHAN; MOORE, DAVID TODD
To: ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC
Reel/Frame 062370/0487 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation In Part 17819384 · Aug 12, 2022
Division 16585843 · Sep 27, 2019
Provisional Application 62826126 · Mar 29, 2019
Provisional Application 62737702 · Sep 27, 2018
Related Publication 20230120127A1 · Apr 20, 2023
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