đ New Perovskite Silicon Tandem âPolarCellâ Efficiency Record - 34.9% PCE đ
/Another year of research, conferences, and servicing our customers is nearly behind us. It is time for reflection to see what we have achieved and where we are going next year.
For the fourth consecutive year, Fluxim is happy to announce that we and our valued customers have published over 100 research papers enabled by our research tools. As of now, the tally stands at 108, and we anticipate this number to increase before year-end. The outstanding results presented in these publications reflect the continued advancements in our primary research fields of photovoltaics and LEDs. We extend our congratulations to all the researchers involved and express our gratitude to our customers for placing their trust in Fluxim's research tools. We have highlighted some notable 2023 papers here.
2023 Highlights
It would be remiss of us not to start by recalling Prof. Moungi G. Bawendi (MIT), Prof. Louis E. Brus (Columbia University), and Dr. Aleksey Yekimov (Nanocrystals Technology Inc.) for their Nobel prize. Their work on quantum dots is still inspiring us. We are excited to see what Prof. Bawendisâ group will publish now they have our Parallel JV and Stability Measurement instrument, Litos Lite.
If perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells are your area of expertise then 2023 was particularly exciting. It felt like the efficiency record was being broken every month. Longi was confirmed as the current record holder in November with their impressive 33,9% efficient cell.
We have some insider news that this record has again been broken. Check out these results from a very northern research labđ .
Our customers developing displays and lighting have also had an incredible year. OLED technology has made significant progress in the automotive industry, with LG Display showcasing a first-of-its-kind sliding OLED panel, Audi leading the way with OLED external lighting and further innovation being driven with tandem technology promising better brightness, durability, and reduced power consumption.
We have it on good authority that leading sleigh manufacturer S. C. Laus LLC, has announced it will be incorporating OLED technology into their 2024 model đ·.
The holiday season will be fleeting, and at Fluxim, we canÂŽt wait for the new year to come around to continue collaborating with our colleagues in research. In the meantime, if you are looking for some advanced knowledge to absorb, we have just published a tutorial on Drift Diffusion.
Happy holidays and we look forward to working with you all next year. As we say in Switzerland at Christmas time: âHĂ€nd schöni Wienachte und Ă€n guĂ€te Rutsch ins Neue Jaarâ
Research Highlights in 2023
Open-circuit and short-circuit loss management in wide-gap perovskite p-i-n solar cells
Pietro Caprioglio, Martin Stolterfoht, Henry J. Snaith et al.
Nat Commun 14, 932, (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36141-8
Wide-gap perovskites suffer from Voc- and Jsc-deficit, but what's the reason and how to solve it?
Researchers from the groups of professors Henry J. Snaith and Martin Stolterfoht demonstrated, starting from drift-diffusion simulation, that a poor band-alignment with the electron transporting layer causes the Voc-deficit, while mobile ions obstacle the charge extraction, causing Jsc losses. The voltage losses were solved by inducing the growth of a low-dimensional perovskite with a surface treatment based on guanidinium bromide (GuaBr) or imidazolium bromide (ImBr). To improve the charge extraction, they modified the hole-transporting layer by applying an ionic interlayer (TEA-TFSI) or replacing it with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM).
They used our simulation software Setfos to reveal that the hole-transporting layers enhance the charge extraction by inducing a stronger electric field at the interface with the perovskite.
A touchless user interface based on a near-infrared-sensitive transparent optical imager
Kamijo, T., van Breemen, A.J.J.M., Ma, X. et al.
Nat. Electron., 6, 451, (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-023-00970-8
How do you make displays for public applications (e.g.: ATMs) more hygienic? With touchless technology.
A collaboration between the Holst Center and Imec developed a touchless user interface for displays. This is based on a transparent array of NIR organic photodetectors (OPDs), which are solution-processed on a large area. The device can be deposited directly on top of commercial displays and recognizes the movement of NIR-reflecting objects like fingers, hands, or a penlight.
The OPD array has a visible light transmittance (VLT) of 70% and an EQE of 36% at 850 nm thanks to a printed Cu-grid used as a transparent electrode.
This grid was optimized through electro-optical simulation with Setfos and Laoss. The ideal JV curves of the OPDs were simulated with Setfos and used as an input for the large-area design software Laoss. The Laoss output the surface potential and current density distribution of the different test grids, allowing the optimization of the structure.
Interface-Engineered Organic Near-Infrared Photodetector for Imaging Applications
Abu Bakar Siddik, Paul Heremans et al.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 15, 30534, (2023)
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsami.3c03708
This work shows how to fabricate a high-speed, low-dark current near-infrared (NIR) organic photodetector (OPD). The authors use an amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) electron transport layer (ETL) to achieve a fast photo response time of 639 ns (rise) and 1497 ns (fall). They also introduce a thin interfacial layer between the donor:acceptor blend and the a-IGZO ETL to reduce dark current. This results in a dark current as low as 125 pA/cm2 at an applied reverse bias of â1 V, making it suitable for high-quality sample image capture. Detailed characterization reveals the dark current mechanism as trap-assisted field-enhanced thermal emission, significantly reduced by introducing an interfacial layer.
Q-DLTS and Transient Photo Voltage (TPV) measurements were performed with Paios.
đPerovskite-Silicon Tandem POLARcell Achieves 34.9% Power Conversion Efficiency: A Breakthrough in North Pole Solar Technology đ
Claus, N., Icicle, E., & Frost, B., Kringle, K .
Journal of Advanced Toyshop Energy, 17, 890. (2023)
DOI: 10.0000/jate.2023.89123.
đ€¶In an unprecedented scientific venture, the PolarGroup, led by Prof. Kris Kringle, has developed a new Perovskite-Silicon Tandem POLARcell. This cell set a remarkable efficiency record of 39.9% efficiency while maintaining stability for an extraordinary 10,000 hours in North Pole conditions. Leveraging Fluxim's Setfos and Paios tools, they optimized the photovoltaic layers and analyzed the charge carrier dynamics, respectively.
The breakthrough technology, named the 'Jingle Jangle Process', involves a special nano-structuring of the silicon substrate combined with a unique perovskite layer composition. Setfos simulations allowed us to fine-tune the optical and electronic properties of the perovskite layer, maximizing light absorption and charge separation efficiency. Paios was pivotal in characterizing the charge transport within our POLARcells, ensuring reduced recombination and enhanced overall performance.
Our POLARcell showcased exceptional efficiency during the 'Northern Lights Test', conducted under the Aurora Borealis, suggesting an interaction between the cell materials and polar light phenomena. This study not only marks a milestone in solar cell technology but also opens avenues for integrating environmental factors into renewable energy research. However, the replication of these results in non-polar environments and the precise mechanisms behind the 'Jingle Jangle Process' remain areas for future investigation.
On the Orientation Mechanism of Nonpolar Dyes in Light-Emitting GuestâHost Systems
Binh Minh Nguyen, Markus Schmid, Johann Kirsch, Albin Cakaj, and Wolfgang BrĂŒtting
Chemistry of Materials 2023 35, 7333, (2023)
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c01804
The research explores how four nonpolar dyes orient within neat films and doped guest-host systems in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). It identifies shape anisotropy and the relationship between the substrate temperature during deposition and the system's glass transition temperature (Tg) as critical to the alignment of emissive transition dipoles. Notably, in mixed cohost systems with components of differing Tgs, the alignment may not align with the mixed host's effective Tg. The study also proposes using a molecule's principal moments of inertia to assess its reorientation resilience and aspect ratio to gauge shape anisotropy.
Angular-Dependent Photoluminescence measurements were performed with Phelos.
Sustainable and Circular Management of Perovskite SolarCells via Green Recycling of Electron Transport Layer-CoatedTransparent Conductive Oxide
Larini, V., Ding, C., Faini, F., Pica, G., Bruni, G., Pancini, L., Cavalli, S., Manzi, M., Degani, M., Pallotta, R., De Bastiani, M., Ma, C.-Q., Grancini, G
Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, 2306040.
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202306040
ITO is the most common and best-performing TCO for solar cells. Recycling ITO requires dissolving all the layers on top of it. After this, the electrode is ready to be re-used for other devices.
The group of Prof. Grancini developed a sustainable recycling process for ITO based on the green solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), instead of the more toxic dimethylformamide (DMF). Perovskite solar cells with recycled ITO have higher efficiencies than those fabricated on fresh ITO. The residual Pb on the recycled ITO improves the FF.
For a direct comparison of the stability, the team performed MPPT tests on devices with recycled and fresh ITO. The perovskite solar cells fabricated on recycled ITO showed slower efficiency decay in the initial 300 hours.
These stability measurements have been carried on in parallel with Litos Lite at the maximum power point (MPP) for 1000 h under an N2atmosphere at 1 sun illumination.
New Research Blog
Our latest research blog is a tutorial on Drift-Diffusion simulations and offers an in-depth exploration of organic upconversion devices, focusing on their response to OLEDs and photodetectors. It delves into the fabrication, characterization, and numerical simulation of these devices, highlighting the unique behavior of electron mobility and its impact on device response speed. The tutorial uses Setfos software for simulations, demonstrating its capabilities in understanding and optimizing OLEDs and solar cells. This resource is invaluable for researchers and experts in the field, providing a comprehensive guide to advanced photonic and electronic device analysis.
đS.C. Laus LLC Unveils Innovative 2024 Sleigh with Advanced OLED Technologyđ
North Pole Sleigh Manufacturer â S.C.Laus LLC announces its 2024 sleigh model, featuring state-of-the-art OLED rear lights and a foldable OLED display. This cutting-edge sleigh was developed in collaboration with Fluxim, a leader in simulation software for OLED devices. Together, they have optimized the OLED lights and display to ensure maximum efficiency and visibility in all weather conditions. "Our partnership with Fluxim allowed us to integrate the latest OLED technology into our sleigh design, ensuring that Santa can travel safely and efficiently," said a spokesperson from S.C.Laus LLC.
However, not everyone is thrilled with the new design. Rudolph, the renowned red-nosed reindeer, expressed concerns about the implications of this technological advancement. "I've always been proud of guiding the sleigh with my bright nose. With these new OLED lights, I'm worried about what this means for my role in the team,"
The sleighâs design, enhanced for safety and efficiency, showcases a sleek red and gold color scheme. The OLED technology, optimized by Fluxim, ensures Santa's travels are both safe and visually striking.
Despite the technological leap, S.C.Laus LLC reassures the essence of Christmas magic remains intact. "This sleigh is a blend of tradition and innovation, designed to bring joy worldwide," said a company spokesperson.
The 2024 Sleigh by S.C.Laus LLC marks a new era in festive travel, ready to light up the Christmas Eve sky.
About S.C.Laus LLC:
S.C.Laus LLC, Santaâs official sleigh maker, combines craftsmanship with innovation to keep the Christmas spirit alive.
