Why More Junctions Do Not Yet Deliver: Interconnection Challenges in Perovskite Multijunction Solar Cells

Abstract

Single-junction photovoltaic technologies are approaching their practical efficiency limits. Perovskite-based multijunction solar cells offer a path beyond these limits through reduced thermalization losses and improved spectral utilization. Although tandem architectures are not new to the photovoltaic community, perovskite-based tandems have, for the first time, opened a realistic path toward gigawatt-scale deployment of this technology. Over the past decade, remarkable progress has been achieved, and the technology is now moving steadily toward industrial scaling. Beyond complementing crystalline silicon, perovskites constitute a versatile tandem device component that can be implemented in fully perovskite-based architectures, fabricated on diverse substrates, and even extended to triple or quadruple-junction configurations. However, this advancement introduces new technological challenges, particularly in the interconnection of perovskite sub-cells. Achieving reliable electrical coupling while maintaining interfacial and structural integrity is challenging, as high-efficiency devices often involve multiple solution-processed layers, where similar solvents used in adjacent sub-cells can cause interlayer dissolution or chemical degradation. Furthermore, film imperfections such as cracks, pinholes, and delamination - often driven by mechanical stress and accumulated strain - emerge frequently during fabrication and scale-up and require careful management. This perspective examines these interconnection-related challenges and charts future directions in perovskite-based multijunction solar cells beyond the general electronic view of recombination junctions.