Flash Infrared Annealing for Processing of Perovskite Solar Cells

Looking for alternatives to scale up perovskite solar cells (PSCs), this chapter introduces a new synthesis method called flash infrared annealing (FIRA). This method is based on a thermal rapid processing, which has been employed to synthesize thin films for semiconductor applications. FIRA allows preparing lead iodide PSCs with a record stabilized power conversion efficiency of 20%. With an irradiation time of fewer than two seconds, FIRA enables the coating of glass and plastic substrates with pinhole-free perovskite films that exhibit micrometer-size crystalline domains. To make FIRA effective, it is necessary to understand the physicochemical phenomena that take place during the crystallization of the synthesized film. From FIRA optimization parameters to experimental approaches, this chapter addresses how to quickly produce defect-tolerant perovskite thin films that enable the manufacture of highly efficient solar cells. The kinetics of the nucleation and crystal growth process is also addressed, from the fundamental studies of particular FIRA cases, disclosing the mechanism involved in driving film crystallization. These fundamental studies have the aim to use FIRA for manufacturing stable PSCs, increasing their power conversion efficiency, and enable the scale-up to the industry of this technology.