Replacing organic contact layers
with inorganic counterparts, such
as metal oxides, is one strategy for improving long-term device stability
in metal halide perovskite solar cells. Often, the methods used to
deposit metal oxide thin films are incompatible with metal halide
perovskites, creating challenges for the fabrication of contacts above
the perovskite absorber layer. In this study, we utilize a one-step,
solution treatment of the top surface of Cs0.25FA0.75Pb(Br0.20I0.80)3 to create a thin
(∼1 nm) overlayer of lead sulfide (PbS) to protect the underlying
perovskite during subsequent deposition. X-ray characterization of
the surface region shows that the PbS overlayer limits undesirable
changes to the perovskite structure and stoichiometry during atomic
layer deposition (ALD) of SnO2. This protection enables
ALD growth of SnO2 electron contacts on top of the perovskite
without an organic transport layer (e.g., C60), resulting
in a solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 5.8%. This result
is a marked improvement over devices with ALD SnO2 grown
directly on the perovskite without a PbS overlayer, which produce
no power output. The interface characterization and device results
in this study highlight some of the key challenges associated with
ALD metal oxide growth on perovskite materials and can help inform
the future design of inorganic contact layer deposition in solar photovoltaic
technologies.