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This advance shows perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells can survive heat, time, and real manufacturing conditions.
Researchers from the National University of Singapore have found a way to make perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells using vapor deposition. This new process, the team found, greatly improves solar cell efficiency above 30% while also making them more durable.
The new process is also manufacturable on real, industrial silicon wafers, not just samples under laboratory conditions. This new process removes one of the biggest blockers to perovskite-silicon tandems becoming commercial products rather than lab demos.
To achieve this, the team used vapour deposition on textured silicon wafers that commercial solar panels actually use. This is a feat that nobody, to date, has managed to do reliably before.
In case you are unaware, perovskite-silicon tandem cells are effectively a stack of two different materials. The first (bottom layer) typically consists of silicon, which is great at processing lower-energy light.
The second (upper layer) tends to consist of perovskite, which excels in processing higher-energy light. Together, this setup captures more of the solar spectrum, pushing efficiency beyond the ~22–24% ceiling of standard silicon panels.
However, this solution has had some inherent issues. The first is that perovskite is very heat sensitive, which is a problem as most roof-mounted solar panels can readily heat up to between 158°F (70 °C) and 185°F (85 °C).
Perovskite tends to suffer from long-term stability, with many cells degrading within only a matter of months. There are also manufacturing mismatch issues where laboratory cells tend to use flat silicon, while real wafers are textured.
The textured wafers (comprising micrometre-scale pyramids) are essential because they trap light, but they are hard to coat evenly with perovskites. To solve this, the team turned to vapor deposition.
This process is scalable, cleaner, and industry-friendly as it is already commonplace in semiconductor manufacture. However, these organic perovskite molecules don’t like sticking evenly to steep, textured surfaces, which results in bad films and ultimately failure.
To solve this, the team introduced a custom-designed molecular “helper” that bonds to the silicon surface. This helper also encourages even adsorption of perovskite molecules and keeps the chemistry balanced during vapor growth.
You can liken this to a molecular primer that lets the perovskite grow smoothly over sharp silicon pyramids instead of clumping or thinning out. And the results were telling.
According to the team, the new cells showed a marked increase in power conversion while only showing a 10% drop in output after 1,400 hours at 185°F (85 °C).
The cells also showed a remarkable operational stability after 2,000 operational hours while being tested under 1-sun illumination (1000 W/m²) conditions.
Looking ahead, the team hopes to scale from small cells to full-size modules. They also hope to prove the technology’s utility “in the wild” through years-long outdoor durability testing.
The team also hopes to integrate its technology into a pilot production line. If the technology can be scaled, it could meaningfully increase the odds that perovskite-silicon tandem panels actually reach rooftops and solar farms rather than staying stuck in journals.
“With vapour-deposited perovskites, we are addressing two fundamental challenges at one go: compatibility with real industrial silicon wafers and stable operation under heat,” study lead Assistant Professor Hou Yi explained.
“This is the first evidence of vapour-grown perovskite tandem cells achieving the required durability for commercial deployment, bringing us closer to practical and reliable tandem solar modules,” Hou Yi added.
You can view the study for yourself in the journal Science.
Christopher graduated from Cardiff University in 2004 with a Masters Degree in Geology. Since then, he has worked exclusively within the Built Environment, Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Consultancy industries. He is a qualified and accredited Energy Consultant, Green Deal Assessor and Practitioner member of IEMA. Chris’s main interests range from Science and Engineering, Military and Ancient History to Politics and Philosophy.
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