Light soaking in metal halide perovskites studied via steady-state microwave conductivity

The light-soaking effect is the observation that under constant illumination the measured power conversion efficiency of certain solar cells changes as a function of time. The theory of the light-soaking in metal halide perovskites is at present incomplete. In this report, we employ steady-state microwave conductivity, a contactless probe of electronic properties of semiconductors, to study the light-soaking effect in metal halide perovskites. By illuminating isolated thin films of two mixed-cation perovskites with AM1.5 solar illumination, we observe a continual increase in photoconductance over a period of many (>12) hours. We can fit the experimentally observed changes in photoconductance to a stretched exponential function, in an analogous manner to bias-stressed thin-film transistors. The information provided in this report should help the community better understand one of the most perplexing open problems in the field of perovskite solar cells and, ultimately, lead to more robust and predictable devices. The light soaking effect is when the power conversion efficiency of a solar cell changes over time while the illumination remains constant. Here, the authors investigate the underlying mechanisms of the light soaking effect in metal halide perovskites using steady-state microwave conductivity. Under constant illumination they observe an increase in photoconductance over many hours.