2024 Capability Portfolio Digital | Page 11

Clean Energy Capability Portfolio | Renewable Generation

Buffer and Passivation

Layers for High-
Efficiency Tandem Solar
Cells

Tandem solar cells have gained acceptance as the most promising way to achieve a solar cell efficiency exceeding 30 percent . If these are to be siliconbased , they will require both buffer and surface passivation layers to maximise their performance .

Competitive Advantage

• Australian-based laboratory featuring an atomic layer deposition reactor with real-time feedback on synthesised material – offers an unprecedented advantage in terms of process optimisation and device integration
• Utilise an advanced , computational material science approach to identify the most promising materials before synthesising them
• Able to perform atomic-scale engineering using atomic layer deposition
• Real-time insight and control of thin film growth and its correlation to final device performance

Impact

• The application of a buffer and passivation layer has already resulted in creating world-record efficiency in Cd-free CZTS solar cells

Capabilities and Facilities

• Both laboratory-scale and pilot-scale atomic layer deposition reactors to explore novel processes from low- to high-technology readiness level
• Access to both lab-scale and pilot-scale thin film deposition equipment for swift transfer from the laboratory to the factory

More Information

Professor Bram Hoex
School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering
T : + 61 2 9385 7934
E : b . hoex @ unsw . edu . au

Successful Applications

• A wide range of binary and tertiary compound thin films have been developed for integration into thin film solar cells

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