Next generation solar cells

In the Next generation solar cells group, we conceptually evaluate processes and solar cell technologies that show promising potential but have not yet been adopted by industrial mass production.

POLO technology as a pioneer

In the past, pioneering work was conducted on passivating contacts based on polycrystalline silicon on oxide (POLO – poly-Si on oxide), which contributed to this technology becoming the "workhorse" of photovoltaics.

Perovskite-silicon tandems as the next step

The commercial application of our findings has been and continues to be driven primarily by our collaboration with manufacturers of solar cell production equipment, who are adapting our innovative processes. Perovskites are also an attractive option for reestablishing solar cell and module production in Germany and Europe—on the one hand as an extension of silicon technology to tandems, but, once stability issues are resolved, potentially also for all-perovskite or perovskite-perovskite tandem modules. We address issues at the interface between the silicon bottom cell and the perovskite top cell, develop industrial processes for depositing perovskites and contact layers, and conduct experimental and theoretical investigations into the stability of perovskite solar cells.

Special applications & new fields

The group’s enthusiasm for scientific experimentation and its exploratory nature also leads us to address emerging research areas and specialized applications.

In addition to our main focus, we are engaged in:

• Photovoltaics for vehicles (e.g., road-ready prototype)
• EU-funded research on light coupling in ultrathin silicon cells