Electrospray Deposition of Perovskite Solar Cells
The Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has identified the need for new solar cell manufacturing technologies, equipment development, and individual process step innovation that can help realize cost-competitive perovskite solar cell modules. The DOE has calculated that the US must install 750 GW of solar generation capacity between 2020 and 2030 to meet grid decarbonization goals. Silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) systems, despite significant reductions made in the cost of manufacturing, is a legacy technology; improvements are incremental and return on investment no longer a motivating force. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as the most promising next-generation PV technology. Several research groups worldwide, including ours, have fabricated devices with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) approaching 25%, making PSCs competitive with traditional silicon-based PV. Factors that limit their market viability are tied to environmental instability which shortens device lifetime and in reproducing device performance when expanding the technology to manufacturing-relevant scale. The cost of fabrication, however, is minuscule. PSCs have a multilayer architecture, with each layer solution-cast at standard temperature and pressure. Each of these layers is composed of exceptionally inexpensive, common-source precursor materials. With NanoSonic’s improvements to scalability and lifetime, PSCs have the potential to drop solar costs by 80%, meeting the DOE’s goal of $0.10 kWh levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and net-zero cost for residential installations. To meet the goal of large-scale PSC manufacturing, NanoSonic has developed thin-film fabrication equipment based on electrostatic spray techniques. Electrospray deposition (ESD) is an additive manufacturing technique (i.e., a direct-write/print process) that enables the growth of thin films in a precise and continuous manner. An electrostatic field is used to generate and deliver submicron sized droplets of solvent-suspended materials to temperature-controlled substrates resulting in films deposited with nanometer scale film thicknesses. Owing to the electrostatic driving force, the technique is materials conservative since the material is only printed where it is desired, resulting in complete, uniform coverage free of pinhole defects. NanoSonic shall deliver low-cost PSCs through further development of electrostatic spray deposition techniques applied to a continuous, high-volume manufacturing platform. During the Phase I and Phase II research periods, NanoSonic developed and demonstrated multi-nozzle printheads capable of simultaneous, wide-area materials deposition. Additionally, NanoSonic and Penn State developed ESD ink formulations for the various thin-film layers that comprise a full PSC and established the process conditions for their deposition at the appropriate film thicknesses. More recently, NanoSonic has worked to couple our wide-area printhead to a purpose-built roll-to-roll (R2R) conveyance system and demonstrate the potential of ESD on a continuous manufacturing platform designed for the high-volume production of perovskite solar cell modules.
- Research Organization:
- NanoSonic
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0019844
- OSTI ID:
- 2246999
- Type / Phase:
- STTR (Phase II)
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-19844-NanoSonic
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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