To achieve near-term terawatt scale solar power, significant innovation in solar cell technology is required to improve efficiency while simultaneously reducing cost. In the first part of my talk, I will discuss a multi-scale characterization approach integrating synchrotron-based X-ray nanoprobe measurements to understand how nanoscale defect behavior– even at impurity concentrations as low as part per billion and below – dictates the macroscale electronic performance in today’s silicon solar cells. By quantifying the defect kinetics we observe, I will demonstrate how we can use defect simulation to guide the material’s processing from a wafer to a completed cell. Finally, translating these learnings to the emerging class of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites, I will share insights from our recent synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence nanoprobe investigations of chemical heterogeneity in perovskite solar cells. By identifying and controlling device-limiting defects in the bulk or at interfaces, we can systematically improve the integration of state-of-the-art materials into high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells.

Engineering defects to enable cost-effective solar cells

251st National Meeting (2016)

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