Researchers from the Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing Huairou Laboratory and additional Chinese academic institutes have examined perovskite films deposited on smoothed copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) substrates, advancing the performance and stability of tandem solar cells. They found that these perovskite films exhibit tensile stress, which plays a crucial role by weakening the bonding interactions at the interface, ultimately influencing device characteristics.
The team’s approach combined the unique advantages of perovskite materials - such as tunable bandgap and low-cost fabrication - with the robust stability and established technology of CIGS substrates. This hybrid architecture holds promise for the development of lightweight and cost-effective photovoltaic devices suitable for a range of applications, from portable electronics to building-integrated solar panels.
By optimizing the deposition technique on smoothed CIGS, researchers could control the stress in the perovskite films, thus influencing the bonding at the critical interface. This leads to improved charge transport and better device longevity, providing a new pathway to surpass current efficiency and operational stability benchmarks in solar technology.
These findings could help guide future tandem solar cell designs, especially where perovskite layers interact with traditional thin-film semiconductors. The work highlights the need for detailed interface engineering to unlock the full potential of perovskite-based devices and could accelerate the adoption of new solar technologies based on these advanced materials.
