Highly transparent perovskite solar cell achieves 18.22% efficiency

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have demonstrated the non-destructive, room-temperature deposition of  amorphous indium zinc oxide (a-IZO) transparent electrodes (TEs) for perovskite solar cell applications.

Compared to indium tin oxide (ITO) counterparts, a-IZO TEs reportedly avoid sputtering damage of the temperature-sensitive semiconductor material and delamination. “We found that using a-IZO as a transparent electrode offers superior performance and durability compared to traditional ITO,” said corresponding author of the research, Ananta Paul, told pv magazine.

The study compared a-IZO and polycrystalline ITO (c-ITO) films. It included using a-IZO for rear transparent electrodes in perovskite solar cells. “Our a-IZO-based devices achieved a higher power conversion efficiency of 18.22% and, crucially, avoided the delamination issues that have plagued similar devices,” said Paul.

Indeed, the efficiency of the prototypes surpassed the 15.84% power conversion efficiency of the c-ITO-based devices.

The transparent perovskite solar cell (T-PSC) was made with a state-of-the-art “n-i-p ” stack and was structured as follows: c-ITO or a-iZO electrode, a molybdenum (VI) oxide (MoO3) buffer layer, a Spiro-MeOTAD hole transport layer, a perovskite absorber, an electron transport layer (ETL) based on tin(IV) oxide (SnO2), and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode.

Analyzing the test results, the researchers found that the interfacial defects present at the MoOx/TE interface of c-ITO-based devices were the “primary factor” responsible for the lower PV performance compared to a-IZO-based devices. They noted that the optical characteristics demonstrated that the enhanced mobility of the a-IZO films contributed to the higher transmittance in the near infrared region.

Referring to the superstrate-architecture, they highlighted the superior performance of T-PSCs with a-IZO as a rear electrode compared to c-ITO. “The primary reasons behind the improvement in a-IZO-based devices are the low sheet resistance (22.41 Ω sq−1), high carrier mobility (μ = 32.12 cm2V−1s−1), low roughness (RMS ∼ 1.05 nm), and high transmittance in the infrared range (Tav ∼ 83.5%) compared to c-ITO,” said the researchers.

Also noted was the figure of merit (FOM) for a-IZO films, which they said was higher than that of the c-ITO films, confirming the “superior suitability” of a-IZO for use in transparent perovskite solar cells.

The team said the work is the first detailed investigation into the delamination phenomenon in c-ITO, offering valuable insights for the development of reliable transparent electrodes for high-efficiency transparent perovskite solar cells.

“Furthermore, we bridge a significant gap in the literature by elucidating the reasons behind the transition from c-ITO to a-IZO in highly efficient transparent perovskite solar cells,” it said, adding that the efficiency of a-IZO suggests its potential for enhancing the performance and cost-effectiveness of transparent perovskite solar cells in tandem solar cells and building-integrated PV (BIPV) applications.

Its work is detailed in the study “Comparative study of industry-compatible indium-oxide-based sputtered transparent electrodes for transparent perovskite solar cells,” published in the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics.

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