Proton radiation hardness of perovskite tandem photovoltaics

Summary Monolithic [Cs0.05(MA0.17FA0.83)0.95]Pb(I0.83Br0.17)3/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (perovskite/CIGS) tandem solar cells promise high performance and can be processed on flexible substrates, enabling cost-efficient and ultra-lightweight space photovoltaics with power-to-weight and power-to-cost ratios surpassing those of state-of-the-art III-V semiconductor-based multijunctions. However, to become a viable space technology, the full tandem stack must withstand the harsh radiation environments in space. Here, we design tailored operando and ex situ measurements to show that perovskite/CIGS cells retain over 85% of their initial efficiency even after 68 MeV proton irradiation at a dose of 2 × 1012 p+/cm2. We use photoluminescence microscopy to show that the local quasi-Fermi-level splitting of the perovskite top cell is unaffected. We identify that the efficiency losses arise primarily from increased recombination in the CIGS bottom cell and the nickel-oxide-based recombination contact. These results are corroborated by measurements of monolithic perovskite/silicon-heterojunction cells, which severely degrade to 1% of their initial efficiency due to radiation-induced recombination centers in silicon.
Graphical Abstract
Highlights • Halide perovskite sub-cells exhibit strong proton irradiation resiliency • Novel operando characterization distinguishes degradation of individual sub-cells • Perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells retain 85% of their initial efficiency after irradiation • Perovskite/SHJ tandem solar cells degrade to 1% of their initial efficiency after irradiation
Context & Scale Monolithic perovskite/silicon and perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells could facilitate large-scale decarbonization of the power sector, provided their long-term stability is proven. In this work, we test the stability of both technologies under high-energy proton irradiation. While this mimics the radiation environment in space, our versatile operando and ex situ methodology is also suitable for studying the long-term stability of multijunction solar cells for terrestrial applications. We find that perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are unsuitable for space, whereas perovskite/CIGS tandems are radiation-hard, promising cheap, flexible, and ultra-lightweight space photovoltaics. Both the growing demand for smaller, cheaper satellites and the privatization of space exploration are revolutionizing space economics, providing an ideal niche for the commercialization of this new technology until the levelized cost-of-electricity can compete with current terrestrial photovoltaics.
We propose and test monolithic perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells for readily stowable, ultra-lightweight space photovoltaics. We design operando and ex situ measurements to show that perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells retain over 85% of their initial power-conversion efficiency after high-energy proton irradiation. While the perovskite sub-cell is unaffected after this bombardment, we identify increased non-radiative recombination in the CIGS bottom cell and nickel-oxide-based recombination layer. By contrast, monolithic perovskite/silicon-heterojunction cells degrade to 1% of their initial efficiency due to radiation-induced defects in silicon.