Perovskite–silicon tandem solar cells using zinc-doped tin oxide achieve comparable performance to indium tin oxide counterparts

Researchers led by Fraunhofer ISE have demonstrated zinc-doped tin oxide (ZTO) as a promising indium-free alternative to indium tin oxide (ITO) for recombination layers in fully textured perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. ZTO offers comparable device efficiencies of 27-28% under current-matching conditions, providing a scalable, indium-free pathway for high-performance tandem photovoltaics without efficiency loss. The study compared ZTO, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), and ITO transparent conductive oxides, with ZTO showing superior compatibility with hybrid-processed perovskite top cells on TOPCon-based perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. The research emphasizes the importance of processing parameters such as sputter parameters and annealing in tuning the structural and electrical properties of the transparent conductive oxides.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/04/17/perovskite-silicon-tandem-solar-cells-using-zinc-doped-tin-oxide-achieve-comparable-performance-to-indium-tin-oxide-counterparts/