A membrane device for substrate-free photovoltaic characterization of quantum dot based p-i-n solar cells

A membrane based silicon nanocrystal p-i-n diode is presented that enables the photovoltaic characterization of silicon quantum dots produced by high-temperature routes. The membrane p-i-n diode decouples silicon nanocrystal formation from the formation of selective contacts and therefore enables extraction of the full photovoltaic potential. Open-circuit voltages of up to 370 mV are shown, which is encouraging for future tandem solar cells.