Key Findings
A research team led by Professor Seong Sik Shin of SKKU, in collaboration with KRICT, UC San Diego, and Princeton University, has produced perovskite semiconductor thin films with significantly reduced defects. The resulting films achieved a charge-carrier lifetime of approximately 295 μs and a surface recombination velocity of 0.3 cm/s, the lowest reported value for lead halide perovskites and comparable to passivated silicon. These films were used to create solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 26.5% (certified 25.9%) and an open-circuit voltage of 1.208 V, as well as LEDs with an external quantum efficiency of 26.1%.
Technical Details
The team utilized “eutectic engineering” to address defects typically found at grain boundaries and surfaces during the solidification of liquid precursor solutions. The process involves combining methylammonium chloride (MACl) and a zinc halide (ZnX₂), two materials that, when mixed, have a lower melting temperature than their individual components.
- Process: Heating the film to approximately 100°C transforms the mixture at grain boundaries into a thin liquid layer.
- Crystal Growth: Atoms diffuse approximately 10,000 times faster in this liquid state, allowing small grains to merge into larger, cleaner crystals.
- Post-Processing: MACl evaporates during thermal annealing, while remaining zinc segregates toward grain boundaries to suppress defects.
Background & Context
Perovskites are valued for low manufacturing costs and simple processing for both light-to-electricity (solar) and electricity-to-light (LED) conversion. However, microscopic crystal grains often create defects that trap or eliminate photo-generated charge carriers, reducing device lifetime and performance.
Significance & Outlook
This method is the first to use a volatile eutectic mixture to fundamentally reduce perovskite defects without requiring expensive specialized equipment. Because the technology has demonstrated strong performance over large areas and works across a single device architecture for both power generation and light emission, the researchers expect it to accelerate the commercialization of perovskite solar cells and find applications in photodetectors and displays.
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