Plasmonic Metasurfaces as Solar Absorber for the Perovskite Thin Film Solar Cells

Perovskite thin films have emerged as highly promising materials for next-generation photovoltaic technologies. Their solution-based fabrication process offers the potential to significantly reduce production costs, paving the way for widespread adoption of perovskite solar cells. However, two critical challenges hinder their large-scale implementation [1]: the instability of perovskites in real-world conditions and the reliance on toxic lead in their composition. This research aims to address these issues by developing plasmonic perovskite solar cells [2] with enhanced power conversion efficiency, thinner active layers, and improved environmental stability.
The proposed plasmonic perovskite solar cell design involves a multilayered structure. The base of the cell is a fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass substrate. A hole transport layer with a thickness of 50-100 nm is made of either nickel oxide or copper sulfide. This is followed by a cesium-lead-iodide perovskite layer, 100-300 nm thick, which may include a monolayer of gold-silica (Au/SiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs). The electron transport layer consists of either zinc oxide or titanium oxide, with a thickness of 15-50 nm. Finally, a continuous electrical contact layer made of a gold or aluminum thin film is deposited on top. This layer serves both as a protective encapsulation surface, preventing perovskite degradation, and as a plasmonic surface, where the electric field is enhanced in the gaps between the Au/SiO₂ nanoparticles, forming a hybrid plasmon polariton-gap modes [3].
Metal halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) and clusters are critical for enhancing the efficiency of plasmonic solar cells [4]. These nanomaterials offer the ability to tune their bandgap energy by adjusting their size or composition. The photoluminescence of perovskite QDs is characterized by narrow emission bands and a high quantum yield, making them highly suitable for photovoltaic applications. The small size of the QDs, along with their tolerance to defects, ensures improved performance and durability. The use of perovskite "inks" will enable scalable, cost-effective fabrication methods, such as spin-coating, to produce large-area solar cells.
The finite-difference time-domain [5] computational method is used to estimate the enhancement of light absorption and the electric field, as well as for design optimization for enhanced efficiency and reduce material usage. By incorporating gold-silica nanoparticles and optimizing the multilayer architecture, the proposed solar cells are expected to increase power conversion efficiency, reduce the use of toxic lead, and improve stability under atmospheric conditions.

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