Production of Perovskite Solar Cells on Trial

The particularly efficient perovskite solar cells are usually produced in the laboratory using solvent-based processes. However, the solar industry relies on vacuum processes - and according to a study, these are competitive.

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An international consortium led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, USA) has investigated which process is best suited for the mass production of perovskite solar cells. Until now, research groups have relied almost exclusively on the solvent-based process, in which special salt-based inks are deposited on the surface of a substrate. The process is uncomplicated to use and leads to high efficiency levels under laboratory conditions at low cost. It can also be implemented in roll-to-roll production.

Established photovoltaic companies, on the other hand, rely almost exclusively on dry and solvent-free vacuum processes, in which materials are converted into a gaseous state and then condense on the substrate surface. Compared to the solvent-based approach, vacuum processes involve somewhat higher investment costs and the deposition speed is also lower.

Vacuum Process with Advantages

However, according to the authors, the last word has not yet been spoken regarding the right process for mass production: Taking into account real parameters such as electricity costs, production yield, material, decommissioning or recycling costs, the vacuum process is competitive, according to the authors. Above all, the good repeatability of the deposition, the simple process control, the availability of industrial process equipment and the simple scaling of the deposition from the small solar cell areas from the laboratory to application-relevant product areas make the process highly interesting for commercialization. However, the quality and speed of deposition still need to be increased for upscaling.

This is a partly automated translation of this german article.