The efficiency was measured over an aperture area of 160mm². This achievement is the best conversion efficiency for perovskite modules in literature, reports the centre.

Organometal halide perovskites have shown high conversion efficiencies at cell level, making them a material of choice for thin-film solar cells, which remain behind thin film solar cells in terms of power conversion efficiency. Further improvements are needed to make thin-film photovoltaics an attractive technology for industrial production. Larger area processing and narrow interconnections are prerequisites for processing efficient thin-film modules.

Imec’s perovskite module also achieve a geometrical fill factor of more than 95%. They have been fabricated by the conventional lab scale spin coating process. A linear coating technique (blade coating) was used for all layers, to prove industrially viable fabrication methods.  

Both glass-based and thin-film perovskite PV technology are widely considered as important technologies. Research is also being conducted by imec to increase the conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells by stacking a perovskite cell on top of a silicon solar cell. The perovskite cell will capture the light which is not absorbed by silicon, as such enabling conversion efficiencies of more than 30%.