Proceedings of International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV23)
Publication date: 30th March 2023
Perovskite Solar Cells (PSC) are arguably “the emerging photovoltaic (PV) technology of the decade”, achieving certified power conversion efficiencies of up to 25.7% and 32.5% for single junction and Silicon/Perovskite tandem devices, respectively [1]. Yet, the required long-term stability remains challenging. Consequently, since 2019, major players in the PV field are proposing additional procedures for PSC testing (e.g., IEC TR 63228, ISOS consensus & PACT testing protocols) [2], aiming to properly assess and report performance stability and reliability of Perovskite PV. Nevertheless, conventionally applied current-voltage curves and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for performance characterization and stability testing are a cumulative response with aggregated losses that hinder the physical insight regarding the superposed dynamics limiting the device’s electric response. Hence, our study explores the use of Impedance Spectroscopy (IS) as a diagnostics tool for parametrization, losses quantification, and monitoring of the decomposed electric response in PSC [3][4][5][6]. In this work, we make a rigorous analysis by IS of the short- and long-term performance of different perovskite solar cell architectures (N-I-P vs P-I-N, planar vs mesoporous, opaque vs semitransparent) produced at the Institut Photovoltaïque d’Île-de-France (IPVF). With that objective, early applications have been identified for IS at IPVF such as: (i) The analysis of different charge transport/buffer layers (TiO2, SnO2, NiOx, PCBM, C60) and contacts (ITO, AZO, Au, Ag) for efficient charge extraction. (ii) The influence of moisture on the electronic response of non-encapsulated devices [7]. And (iii) the impact of glass-glass encapsulation on the initial performance stability of PSC. But overall, our study seeks to contribute through the configuration of a comprehensive IS characterization database of “fresh vs aged” samples, following ISOS & PACT stability and reliability protocols. From which, the coupling between IS and complementary characterization techniques such as intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) and hyperspectral photoluminescence (PL) imaging will be considered [6][8][9]. All in all, seeking to further optimize PSC performance reproducibility, efficiency and long-term stability by linking characteristic degradation signatures to: (i) sample composition and manufacturing processes quality (e.g., spin vs slot-die coating and single vs multi-stage), (ii) storage pre-treatment and ageing conditions (e.g., relative humidity, electric bias, thermal and light/dark cycling), as well as (iii) observable metastability and self-healing.