AIXTRON SE : “PeroBOOST” project researches development of solar cells from perovskites

AIXTRON SE (FSE: AIXA; NASDAQ: AIXG), a worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, will be pressing ahead with research on perovskite solar cells within the 'PeroBOOST' project together with University of Cologne, Enerthing GmbH, Lunovu GmbH, SOLUXX GmbH, the Center for Organic Electronics Cologne (ZOEK) gGmbH, the Fraunhofer ISE Laboratory and Service Center Gelsenkirchen, and Duisburg-Essen University.

The basis for this three-year project (03/2016-02/2019) is the recent discovery of the superb properties of organo-perovskite materials for efficient solar cells. This long known of class of materials offers surprisingly great potential in terms of its energy conversion efficiency. The latest research results already report efficiency levels of more than 20%. The new type of solar cells is thus expected to achieve a similarly high level of energy efficiency as solar cells made of silicon. In addition to being expected to involve lower costs, this technology also opens up a variety of novel future applications due to its manufacturability on flexible substrates. Another attractive option involves using the technology in combination with silicon photovoltaics to further enhance efficiency.

The perovskite solar cell based on thin film technology has many features in common with innovative organic photovoltaics in terms of the materials used. The disadvantage of perovskite solar cells to date, however, has been that the highest efficiency rates have only been achieved with lead-based materials. The development of perovskite solar cells that are stable on a long-term basis is also only in its infancy. Lead-free systems currently show lower levels of efficiency and long-term stability. The 'PeroBOOST' project will therefore be focusing above all on two aspects and aiming to develop these further:

• Efficient and stable lead-free perovskite solar cells.

• Scaling up methods and techniques.

To this end, the project will investigate and develop two industrial production processes, namely vacuum coating and wet-chemical roll-to-roll coating.

The aim of the project is to investigate the stability of the solar cells and to develop processes and materials to enhance stability. For initial applications, we aim to achieve a lifetime of 3-5 years.

'PeroBOOST' is being supported with funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014-2020.