Perovskite solar cells utilizing a two-step deposited CH3NH3PbI3 thin film were rapidly sintered using an intense pulsed light source. For the first time, a heat treatment has shown the capability of sintering methylammonium lead iodide perovskite and creating large crystal sizes approaching 1 μm without sacrificing surface coverage. Solar cells with an average efficiency of 11.5% and a champion device of 12.3% are reported. The methylammonium lead iodide perovskite was subjected to 2000 J of energy in a 2 ms pulse of light generated by a xenon lamp, resulting in temperatures significantly exceeding the degradation temperature of 150 °C. The process opens up new opportunities in the manufacturability of perovskite solar cells by eliminating the rate-limiting annealing step, and makes it possible to envision a continuous roll-to-roll process similar to the printing press used in the newspaper industry.
Keywords: intense pulsed light; methylammonium lead iodide; perovskite; photovoltaics; scalable manufacturing; sintering.