Performance evaluation of back-contact perovskite solar cells

Erik O. Shalenov^a, Askhat N. Jumabekov^b, Yeldos S. Seitkozhanov^a^,^c, Kuanysh O. Tlekova^a^,^d, Madina M. Seisembayeva^a^,^c, Ayazhan K. Dossymbekova^a, Zhansaya B. Omarova^e

^aDepartment of General Physics, Satbayev University, Almaty, 050013, Kazakhstan

^bDepartment of Physics, School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan

^cInstitute of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan

^dDepartment of Materials Science, Nanotechnology and Engineering Physics, Satbayev University, Almaty 050013, Kazakhstan

^eDepartment of Standardization, Certification and Metrology, Satbayev University, Almaty, 050013, Kazakhstan

Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference (MATSUSSpring26)

A5 From halide perovskites to perovskite-inspired materials – Synthesis, Modelling and Application

Barcelona, Spain, 2026 March 23rd - 27th

Organizers: Gustavo de Miguel, Lorenzo Malavasi and Isabella Poli

Poster, Erik O. Shalenov, 742
Publication date: 15th December 2025

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are typically fabricated using multilayer architectures such as n-i-p or p-i-n, where the perovskite layer is sandwiched between electron and hole transport layers. While these structures have enabled high efficiencies, they require precise thin-film deposition conditions and restrict material compatibility, limiting device design flexibility. Their performance is also sensitive to defects in the perovskite layer, which can create shunting pathways, and practical efficiencies are reduced by photon losses from parasitic absorption and reflection.

To address these limitations, researchers have explored back-contact architectures, including quasi-interdigitated (QIBC) [1-6], flat-interdigitated (FIBC) [7-8], and fully interdigitated (IBC) [9-10] designs. In back-contact PSCs (BC-PSCs), all electrodes and transport layers are patterned before depositing the perovskite, reducing damage during fabrication and eliminating front-side optical losses. These designs also allow integration of optical management layers. Recent advances, such as transparent quasi-integrated electrodes and scalable printing methods, further support BC-PSCs for emerging applications.

In this work, numerical simulation is employed to investigate the performance of BC-PSCs incorporating quasi-interdigitated, flat-interdigitated, and fully interdigitated electrode designs [5,6]. The simulations reveal the fundamental differences among these electrode geometries and provide a detailed analysis of their impact on photovoltaic behavior. The influence of key electronic properties of the perovskite photoactive layer on device performance is also examined. The results show that BC-PSCs with quasi-interdigitated electrodes have the potential to achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 25%. However, devices employing flat-interdigitated and fully interdigitated electrodes demonstrate greater tolerance to electronic imperfections in the perovskite film, enabling them to achieve higher PCEs under realistic material conditions. Finally, the fabrication prospects and practical considerations associated with implementing these electrode designs in next-generation BC-PSCs are discussed from an experimental standpoint.

References:

[1] Jumabekov, A. N.; De Gaspera, E.; Xu, Z.-Q.; Chesman, A. S. R.; van Embden, J.; Bonke, S. A.; Bao, Q.; Vak, D.; Bach, U. Back-Contacted Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells. J. Mater. Chem. C 2016, 4, 3125–3130.

[2] DeLuca, G.; Jumabekov, A. N.; Hu, Y.; Simonov, A. N.; Lu, J.; Tan, B.; Adhyaksa, G. W. P.; Garnett, E. C.; Reichmanis, E.; Chesman, A. S. R.; Bach, U. Transparent Quasi-Interdigitated Electrodes for Semitransparent Perovskite Back-Contact Solar Cells. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2018, 1, 4473–4478.

[3] Bacal, D. M.; Lal, N. N.; Jumabekov, A. N.; Hou, Q.; Chesman, A. S. R.; Bach, U. A Solution-Processed Antireflective Coating for Back-Contact Perovskite Solar Cells. Opt. Express 2020, 28, 12650–12660.

[4] Hu, Y.; Adhyaksa, G. W. P.; DeLuca, G.; Simonov, A. N.; Duffy, N. W.; Reichmanis, E.; Bach, U.; Docampo, P.; Bein, T.; Garnett, E. C.; Chesman, A. S. R.; Jumabekov, A. N. Perovskite Solar Cells with a Hybrid Electrode Structure. AIP Adv. 2019, 9, 125037.

[5] Shalenov, E. O.; Seitkozhanov, Y. S.; Valagiannopoulos, C.; Ng, A.; Dzhumagulova, K. N.; Jumabekov, A. N. Performance Evaluation of Different Designs of Back-Contact Perovskite Solar Cells. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 2022, 234, 111426.

[6] Shalenov, E. O.; Dzhumagulova, K. N.; Seitkozhanov, Y. S.; Ng, A.; Valagiannopoulos, C.; Jumabekov, A. N. Insights on Desired Fabrication Factors from Modeling Sandwich and Quasi-Interdigitated Back-Contact Perovskite Solar Cells. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2021, 4, 1093–1107.

[7] Song, Y.; Bi, W.; Wang, A.; Liu, X.; Kang, Y.; Dong, Q. Efficient Lateral-Structure Perovskite Single-Crystal Solar Cells with High Operational Stability. Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 274.

[8] 10.1038/s41467-019-13998-2

[9] Pazos-Outón, L. M.; Szumilo, M.; Lamboll, R.; Richter, J. M.; Crespo-Quesada, M.; Abdi-Jalebi, M.; Beeson, H. J.; Vrućinić, M.; Alsari, M.; Snaith, H. J.; Ehrler, B.; Friend, R. H.; Deschler, F. Photon Recycling in Lead Iodide Perovskite Solar Cells. Science 2016, 351, 1430–1433.

[10] Lin, X.; Jumabekov, A. N.; Lal, N. N.; Pascoe, A. R.; Gomez, D. E.; Duffy, N. W.; Chesman, A. S. R.; Sears, K.; Fournier, M.; Zhang, Y.; Bao, Q.; Cheng, Y.-B.; Spiccia, L.; Bach, U. Dipole-Field-Assisted Charge Extraction in Metal–Perovskite–Metal Back-Contact Solar Cells. Nat. Commun. 2017, 8, 613.

[11] Lin, X.; Chesman, A. S. R.; Raga, S. R.; Scully, A. D.; Jiang, L.; Tan, B.; Lu, J.; Cheng, Y.-B.; Bach, U. Effect of Grain Cluster Size on Back-Contact Perovskite Solar Cells. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2018, 28, 1805098.

Acknowledgements:

The author thank the scientific research grants from the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. AP27508227 and No. AP23483937) for supporting this work.

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