New technique speeds up perovskite manufacturing tenfold

A team from KIT and the University of Valencia has presented a method that promises to speed up the production of solar cells. The technique, called Close-Space Sublimation (CSS), deposits the perovskite layer at 47 nm per minute, ten times faster than current processes and without the need for solvents. The result is perovskite-silicon tandem cells with an efficiency of 24.3% manufactured in just ten minutes.

solar cell manufacturing process with perovskite layer deposition, glowing orange perovskite crystal forming on silicon wafer inside vacuum chamber, sublimation source emitting vapor at bottom, growth rate visualization with speed lines showing 47 nanometers per minute, substrate moving through chamber in ten minute cycle, technical engineering visualization, cross-section view of chamber showing material flow, metallic chamber walls with observation windows, photorealistic industrial render with dramatic lighting, precision mechanical components, clean room environment

CSS: fast, solvent-free deposition for industry 🚀

The CSS method operates in a vacuum and allows precise control of the active layer thickness. By eliminating solvents, cost and environmental impact are reduced, and leftover materials can be reused. According to the authors, this breakthrough overcomes the main barrier to industrial perovskite manufacturing: deposition speed. The results, published in Nature Energy, show a viable path toward mass production of these devices.

Perovskite is no longer the lab's slowpoke ⚡

While other methods took longer than a heavy digestion, this new system deposits the layer in a flash. And best of all: no solvents, which is like making a paella without having to wash the dishes afterward. Now we just need solar cells to learn how to fold so they don't take up so much space on the roof. Because, let's be honest, 24.3% efficiency is great, but what we all really want is for the panel to fold itself.