Scalable Fabrication of Perovskite Solar Cells to Meet Climate Targets

Abstract

HIGHLIGHTSOur cost model shows competitive perovskite PV requires high-throughput processingWe replace conventional annealing with rapid thermal processing without PCE lossThe combination of RTA and blade coating establishes a scalable processing routeIn situ XRD reveals a perovskite conversion mechanism and role of intermediates Bruening et al., Joule SUMMARYCost modeling shows that high-throughput processing of perovskite solar cells is required not only to compete with incumbent technologies in terms of levelized cost of energy, but more importantly, it is the major enabling factor facilitating sustainable growth rates of solar cell manufacturing capacity commensurate with global climate targets. We performed rapid thermal annealing at bladecoating speed to quickly deposit and convert perovskite thin films for scalable manufacturing of perovskite solar cells. In situ X-ray diffraction during film deposition and thermal conversion gave insight into the formation of crystalline intermediates, essential for high-quality films. Parameters were optimized based on the in situ study, allowing perovskite films to be annealed within 3 s with a champion power conversion efficiency of 16.8%. This opens up a clear pathway toward industrial-scale high-throughput manufacturing, which is required to fulfill the projected photovoltaic installation rates needed to reach climate goals.

Impact of Processing on Structural and Compositional Evolution in Mixed Metal Halide Perovskites during Film Formation

“…The setup for in situ GIWAXS during spin coating is shown in Figure S19 in the Supporting Information. For blade-coating experiments, a setup was used previously reported in Bruening et al [63] In situ GIWAXS During Annealing: It was performed at beamline 11-3 at an X-ray beam energy of 12.7 keV in a N 2 -filled chamber. Rayonix MX225 X-ray detector was used to collect scattering at a sample to detector distance of 250.2 mm.…”

In Situ Observation of Crystallization Dynamics and Grain Orientation in Sequential Deposition of Metal Halide Perovskites

“…The perovskite formation in the one‐step spin‐coating or vapor deposition process has been monitored through this technique, which constitutes a fundamental understanding in the film crystallization mechanism and fosters further improvements in film qualities . The pioneer studies investigating the role of Cl − ions and the intermediate phases during film preparation using the GI‐XRD technique further demonstrate the importance of in situ measurements to engineer perovskite films for tailored properties . Moreover, the GI‐XRD setup equipped with a 2D detector can offer additional information about crystal orientations in perovskite films .…”

Acetonitrile based single step slot-die compatible perovskite ink for flexible photovoltaics

“…Perovskite based photovoltaic materials have gained a great deal of research interest due to the high certied efficiencies, low cost of precursor materials, and low cost and low temperature manufacturing routes. [3][4][5] The ability to solution process these materials at low temperature and incorporate into exible device stacks gives the possibility of using high throughput manufacturing processes, such as roll-to-roll printing and coating, that could be exploited to further reduce the cost of manufacturing. 3,4 Flexible roll-to-roll compatible manufacture allows for unique rapid deployment strategies, as demonstrated for organic photovoltaics, [6][7][8] that have the potential to reduce installation costs and increase the rate of installed capacity.…”