IMEC

IMEC at a glance

IMEC is active in world class research on nano-electronics and nanotechnology. Imec’s research is focusing on renewable energy, improved health care, smart electronics, and safer transport. The PV activity is developing low cost, scalable and high efficiency solar cell technologies, and the key areas of attention are silicon-based and thin-film solar cells and modules. This research is using the vast know-how of IMEC on semiconductor physics, processing and analysis. The Thin-Film PV group has a track record of about 20 years. It started in the field of organic solar cells but has now its main activities based on chalcogenide and perovskite thin film solar cells.

In the case of perovskite thin film solar cells, this group has attracted a lot of attention with its fast progress in this field with single cell efficiencies of 22.3% for inverted p-i-n cells using a stable and scalable layer stack. In 2017, we obtained the world-record certified module efficiency of 12.5%, as well as in 2018, we reported world’s first 4 cm² module-on-cell perovskite/silicon stack with a power conversion efficiency of 25.3% (27.1% at cell-on-cell level), outperforming the standalone silicon solar cell. In 2020, we expanded this with 2-terminal perovskite/Si tandem results with efficiency >25%, using scalable stacks. Similarly, a perovskite/CIGS mechanically stacked tandem solar cell has been demonstrated whereby the single junction CIGS efficiency was boosted from 16.7% to a record high 24.6% tandem cell efficiency

Main Role and tasks in the project

First of all, IMEC will act as work package leader of WP6-NA3 and will also contribute to the WP4-NA1 and WP5-NA2. Furthermore, IMEC will open up its world-class large-area perovskite research infrastructure (see description below) for transnational access in WP2-TA1 and will contribute to the establishment of a perovskite database infrastructure in WP3-VA1. Finally, IMEC will also be active in the WP8-JRA2 and WP9-JRA3 activities on the improvement of the processing and characterization infrastructures