With commercial silicon solar cells approaching both practical and theoretical efficiency limits, there is growing research effort to develop new low-cost technologies capable of reaching efficiencies of 30% and beyond. Silicon-based tandems that combine current industrial technology with emerging thin-film PV materials are considered the most cost-effective option for achieving this, with the latest edition of the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (ITRPV) predicting Si-based tandems to appear in mass production after 2019. The rapid rise of perovskite solar cell performance in the past few years has made perovskites the material of choice as a top cell for such tandems due to their high efficiency and simple, low-cost fabrication. Optimization of tandems requires detailed knowledge and characterization of the optical and electrical properties of every layer, as well as practical constraints imposed by processing sequences and chemical incompatibilities. This presentation will review the latest progress in perovskite-silicon tandems, including our recent demonstration of a 26.4% 4-terminal tandem, and a 22.8% monolithic tandem based on a diffused-junction silicon homojunction cell. Key challenges and potential pathways for reaching efficiencies of 30% and beyond will be identified and discussed.

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Thomas White, The Duong, Jun Peng, Yiliang Wu, Heping Shen, Klaus J. Weber, and Kylie R. Catchpole, "Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells: progress and challenges (Conference Presentation)," Proc. SPIE 10688, Photonics for Solar Energy Systems VII, 106880F (Presented at SPIE Photonics Europe: April 24, 2018; Published: 23 May 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2317382.5788754836001.