Germany-based Fraunhofer ISE has achieved a record efficiency of 31.6% for its1 cm2 perovskite silicon tandem solar cell. According to Fraunhofer ISE, this breakthrough comes from integrating a perovskite layer with a textured silicon heterojunction cell using a hybrid manufacturing approach. The textured silicon, featuring micrometer-sized pyramids, enhances light capture and minimizes reflection losses, boosting energy yield. This method is compatible with existing silicon cell production, simplifying industrial scalability. However, applying the perovskite layer evenly on the textured surface was challenging, says Fraunhofer ISE. It addressed this using a combination of vapor and wet chemical deposition techniques. Fraunhofer ISE said that this development, in collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s KAUST, is a significant step toward commercializing highly efficient tandem solar cells.
