Dutch Scientists at TNO & TU Eindhoven Develop Efficient Monolithic Perovskite-PERC Tandem Solar Cell

Highlights

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  Champion 23.7% efficient perovskite-PERC tandem cell was achieved.

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  The developed thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for NiO is reported.

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  ALD NiO was added to an ITO/SAM recombination junction to improve the device yield.

Dutch researchers at TNO and TU Eindhoven have achieved a notable breakthrough in solar cell technology by creating a monolithic perovskite-PERC tandem solar cell with a remarkable 23.7% efficiency. The innovation lies in a new tunnel recombination junction (TRJ) design that includes indium tin oxide (ITO), carbazole (2PACz), and a nickel(II) oxide (NiO) layer. Unlike conventional TRJs, the addition of NiO significantly reduces electrical issues in the perovskite top cell.

(a) HAADF-scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image of a tandem cell using ITO/NiO/2PACz. (b) Compositional line profiles at the interface ITO/NiO/SAM extracted from an EDX elemental mapping. Note that the figure is rotated 90°.

By using atomic layer deposition (ALD), the team improved the uniformity of the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) in the TRJ structure. This new solar cell design includes a perovskite absorber, electron transport layers, an ITO electrode, a silver (Ag) metal contact, and an antireflective coating.

Comparing their creation with a reference cell, the researchers found the novel TRJ-based cell achieved an efficiency of 23.7%, slightly below the reference cell's 24.2%. However, the novel design's uniform coverage of SAM and consistent efficiency across different devices within and between batches makes it promising for large-scale production.

Published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, this research opens doors for improved perovskite-PERC tandem solar cell technology using ALD NiO.

Atomic layer deposition of NiO applied in a monolithic perovskite/PERC tandem cell - ScienceDirect