In Situ IR Spectroscopy Studies of Atomic Layer-Deposited SnO2 on Formamidinium-Based Lead Halide Perovskite.

Perovskite photovoltaics has achieved conversion efficiencies of 26.0% by optimizing the optoelectronic properties of the absorber and its interfaces with charge transport layers (CTLs). However, commonly adopted organic CTLs can lead to parasitic absorption and device instability. Therefore, metal oxides like atomic layer-deposited (ALD) SnO2 in combination with fullerene-based electron transport layers have been introduced to enhance mechanical and thermal stability. Instead, when ALD SnO2 is directly processed on the absorber, i.e., without the fullerene layer, chemical modifications of the inorganic fraction of the perovskite occur, compromising the device performance. This study focuses on the organic fraction, particularly the formamidinium cation (FA+), in a CsFAPb(I,Br)3 perovskite. By employing in situ infrared spectroscopy, we investigate the impact of ALD processing on the perovskite, such as vacuum level, temperature, and exposure to half and full ALD cycles using tetrakis(dimethylamido)-Sn(IV) (TDMA-Sn) and H2O. We observe that exposing the absorber to vacuum conditions or water half-cycles has a negligible effect on the chemistry of the perovskite. However, prolonged exposure at 100 °C for 90 min results in a loss of 0.7% of the total formamidinium-related vibrational features compared to the pristine perovskite. Supported by density functional theory calculations, we speculate that FA+ deprotonates and that formamidine desorbs from the perovskite surface. Furthermore, the interaction between TDMA-Sn and FA+ induces more decomposition of the perovskite surface compared to vacuum, temperature, or H2O exposure. During the exposure to 10 ALD half-cycles of TDMA-Sn, 4% of the total FA+-related infrared features are lost compared to the pristine perovskite. Additionally, IR spectroscopy suggests the formation and trapping of sym-triazine, i.e., a decomposition product of FA+. These studies enable to decouple the effects occurring during direct ALD processing on the perovskite and highlight the crucial role of the Sn precursor in affecting the perovskite surface chemistry and compromising the device performance.

Surface Modulation via Conjugated Bithiophene Ammonium Salt for Efficient Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

The metal halide perovskite absorbers are prone to surface defects, which severely limit the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) and the operational stability of the perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, trace amounts of bithiophene propylammonium iodide (bi-TPAI) are applied to modulate the surface properties of the gas-quenched perovskite. It is found that the bi-TPAI surface treatment has negligible impact on the perovskite morphology, but it can induce a defect passivation effect and facilitate the charge carrier extraction, contributing to the gain in the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor. As a result, the PCE of the gas-quenched sputtered NiOx-based inverted PSCs is enhanced from the initial 20.0% to 22.0%. Most importantly, the bi-TPAI treatment can largely alleviate or even eliminate the burn-in process during the maximum power point tracking measurement, improving the operational stability of the devices.

Optical Simulation-Aided Design and Engineering of Monolithic Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells.

Monolithic perovskite/c-Si tandem solar cells have attracted enormous research attention and have achieved efficiencies above 30%. This work describes the development of monolithic tandem solar cells based on silicon heterojunction (SHJ) bottom- and perovskite top-cells and highlights light management techniques assisted by optical simulation. We first engineered (i)a-Si:H passivating layers for (100)-oriented flat c-Si surfaces and combined them with various (n)a-Si:H, (n)nc-Si:H, and (n)nc-SiOx:H interfacial layers for SHJ bottom-cells. In a symmetrical configuration, a long minority carrier lifetime of 16.9 ms was achieved when combining (i)a-Si:H bilayers with (n)nc-Si:H (extracted at the minority carrier density of 1015 cm-3). The perovskite sub-cell uses a photostable mixed-halide composition and surface passivation strategies to minimize energetic losses at charge-transport interfaces. This allows tandem efficiencies above 23% (a maximum of 24.6%) to be achieved using all three types of (n)-layers. Observations from experimentally prepared devices and optical simulations indicate that both (n)nc-SiOx:H and (n)nc-Si:H are promising for use in high-efficiency tandem solar cells. This is possible due to minimized reflection at the interfaces between the perovskite and SHJ sub-cells by optimized interference effects, demonstrating the applicability of such light management techniques to various tandem structures.