Flexible Roll-to-Roll Platform Providing Lightweight Sputtered Coatings Including Environmental Barrier and Transparent Conductors for Perovskite Solar Cell Manufacturing

A key obstacle to the commercial success of flexible perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is the long-term stability of the perovskite layer. This layer is vulnerable to several degradation mechanisms, such as moisture, oxygen, and UV-catalyzed reactions which make barrier films essential for boosting reliability, lifetime, and overall performance of these devices. Barrier films act as protective layers, shielding the sensitive components of PV devices from environmental factors, while allowing for increased incident light transmission in the photoactive regime. Another key layer in perovskite solar cells is the current collector, which is often a sputtered transparent conductive metal oxide layer. The current collector should maximize light transmission and minimize sheet resistance for maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE). Lightweight polymer films such as PET, combined with sputtered thin film coatings, can offer excellent environmental barrier and current collector properties while preserving necessary optical effects that can elevate the PCE. Utilizing Roll-to-Roll manufacturing processes for these films also further reduces production costs and facilitates scalability. By reducing the impact of environmental stressors, barrier films play a vital role in protecting flexible PSCs, enabling more reliable, sustainable solar energy solutions and broader market adoption of perovskite technology.