Thermally Evaporated SnO2 Buffer Layers for p−i−n Perovskite Solar Cells

by Lorenzo Mardegan, Sofiia Kosar, Badri Vishal, Jose Piers Jurado, Shynggys Zhumagali, Christopher E. Petoukhoff, Anil R. Pininti, Ahmed Ali Said, Stefaan De Wolf
Article Year: 2025

Abstract

Tin(IV) oxide (SnO2) thin films are commonly employed as buffer layers in p− i−n perovskite solar cells that feature transparent electron-collecting contacts, to protect underlying layers from electrode sputtering damage. While SnO2 is typically deposited via atomic layer deposition, we demonstrate here its much simpler fabrication by thermal evaporation at room temperature without any postdeposition treatment. The evaporated films exhibit oxygen deficiency that increases with film thickness. Importantly, when integrated into p−i−n solar cells, the SnO2 vacuum deposition process effectively mitigated sputteringinduced degradation during electrode deposition, retaining pristine perovskite/C60 layers. These findings establish thermally evaporated SnO2 as a viable alternative to atomic-layerdeposited counterparts for use as buffer layers in p−i−n perovskite solar cells.