Researchers Unveil Two-Dimensional X-ray Diffraction Mapping (2DXDM) Dynamic Spin-Casting Yields Certified 22.75% Efficiency in 100㎠ Module "Reveals Uniformity Across Entire Film, a Key Technology for Commercialization"
ULSAN — Researchers have developed a diagnostic technology that can see through large-area perovskite solar cells without damaging them and optimize their manufacturing process.
The Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) said on the 19th that a team led by professors Kim Dong-suk, Shin Tae-joo and Kim Jin-young, working with Dr. Shin Yun-seop of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, developed a technology called two-dimensional X-ray diffraction mapping (2DXDM).
Perovskite solar cells are considered a strong candidate to replace commercial silicon solar cells because they are cheaper to produce. But as the substrate grows larger, differences in how quickly the liquid feedstock solvent dries cause crystals to grow unevenly and deform, sharply reducing efficiency.
The team's 2DXDM works on a principle similar to that of a hospital CT scan. Rather than cutting into the solar cell, it repeatedly fires X-rays across the entire thin film and analyzes the intensity and direction of the diffraction patterns. This makes it possible to see, as if reading a map, the alignment of the crystals and the degree of lattice deformation. It overcomes the limitation of earlier methods, which showed only partial areas or average values.
Using the diagnostic technology, the team also identified an optimal manufacturing process. It confirmed that dynamic spin-casting (DSC), which continuously supplies feedstock in droplets while the substrate rotates, forms a better thin film than static spin-coating (SSC), which deposits the feedstock all at once.
A 100㎠ module made with this method (with an actual power-generating area of 86.4㎠) recorded a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 23.0% and achieved a certified efficiency of 22.75%. That is close to the current world-best certified efficiency (23.55%) for perovskite modules of similar size. It also demonstrated stability, retaining more than 80% of its initial efficiency after 1,000 hours of light exposure.
Professor Shin Tae-joo explained that earlier analysis methods showed only partial areas or average values, making it hard to grasp differences across the whole film, and that cutting samples could alter the original lattice deformation. "2DXDM analyzes the entire area without damaging the film, so it can be used for process optimization and quality control," Shin said.
Professor Kim Dong-suk said that in large-area perovskite films, it is important to grasp the structural uniformity of the entire area rather than a local region. "This study lets us see under what process conditions the film becomes more uniform and module efficiency rises, so it can be used to improve the manufacturing process for high-efficiency, large-area solar cells," Kim said.
The research was carried out using the Pohang Light Source, and the findings were published online on July 23 in the international energy journal Joule.
Original reporting by Jang Ji-seung for Seoul Economic Daily.
AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreign sources are based on Korean-language reports and may not reflect exact original wording.
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