Low Damage Scalable Pulsed Laser Deposition of SnO ₂ for p– i–n Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has already been adopted as a low damage deposition technique of transparent conducting oxides on top of sensitive organic charge transport layers in optoelectronic devices. Herein, SnO ₂ deposition is demonstrated as buffer layer in p– i–n perovskite solar cells (PSCs) via wafer‐scale (4 inch) PLD at room temperature. The PLD SnO ₂ properties, its interface with perovskite/C ₆₀, and device performance are compared to atomic layer deposited (ALD) SnO ₂, i.e., state‐of‐the‐art buffer layer in perovskite‐based single junction and tandem photovoltaics. The PLD SnO ₂‐based solar cells exhibit on par efficiencies (17.8%) with that of SnO ₂ fabricated using ALD. The solvent‐free room temperature processing and wafer‐scale approach of PLD open up possibilities for buffer layer formation with increased deposition rates while mitigating potential thermal or physical damage to the top organic layers. This is a promising outlook for fully physical vapor‐processed halide PSCs and optoelectronic devices requiring low thermal budget.