ULTRAFAST PHOTOVOLTAIC SPECTROMETER (UPVS)

Perovskite Solar Cell

Perovskite solar cells are garnering significant interest as a potential solution to global energy challenges, primarily due to their exceptional efficiency and low cost. The core of their potential lies in the rapid progress they've made in converting sunlight into electricity, with laboratory efficiencies now rivaling and even surpassing that of traditional silicon solar panels. What makes this even more compelling is the simplicity of their manufacturing. Unlike silicon, which requires energy-intensive, high-temperature fabrication methods, perovskite cells can be produced using simple, solution-based processes like printing or spin-coating. This dramatically reduces the energy and cost of production. This unique combination of high performance and affordability positions them as a strong contender to revolutionize the renewable energy sector and accelerate our transition to a cleaner, more sustainable future..

Solving Fabrication Issues

A perovskite solar cell underperforms mainly because carriers get stuck or lost before reaching the electrodes. This happens due to defects/traps, fast recombination, hot carrier cooling, and poor interfaces. Even though perovskites have inherently great properties (high absorption, long diffusion lengths, high mobility), controlling defects and interfaces is the bottleneck for real-world efficiency.

Using Sciencetech UVPS

6 Steps to solve efficiency issues

1) Device prep: Fabricate perovskite solar cell; integrate into a coplanar waveguide for <40 ps response.

2) Excitation: Illuminate via transparent contact with 400 nm femtosecond pulses at ~1-sun fluence.

3) Measurement: Record transient I–V under varied bias to capture ballistic (<200 ps), phonon-limited, and trap-assisted (>200 ps) regimes.

4) Temperature scan: Use Arrhenius analysis to extract trap energies and carrier lifetimes.

5) Analysis: Derive mobilities from field-dependent peak photocurrent.

6) Optimization: Modify grain size, passivate defects, tune ETL/HTL alignment; remeasure for higher Voc, mobility, and reduced trap effects

Sciencetech Turn Key Solution Ultrafast Photovoltaic Spectrometer

Key Specifications

Specification

Center Wavelength

515 nm( is it 400nm??)

Time Resolution

< 40 ps (with Sub-1 ps option)

Lifetime Window

< 100 ms

Mobility Measurement

< 10⁻⁴ cm²/V·s

Data Collection Time

1 s

Temperature Range

5 K – 800 K

Wavelength Range

400 – 1100 nm (tunable)

Sample Environment

Air- and water-free holder

Options

Sub-1 ps resolution, nonlinear optical phenomena (two-photon excitation)

Sciencetech UPVS Excels at Testing

Perovskite solar cells

Single-junction 3D perovskites (e.g., MAPbI₃, FAPbI₃)

Mixed cation/anion perovskites

Perovskite tandems (with silicon, CIGS, organic, etc.)

2D layered perovskites

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs)

Single-junction OPVs

Tandem organic cells

Chalcogenide thin films

CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide)

CdTe (Cadmium Telluride)

Amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film solar cells

Quantum dot solar cells

PbS, PbSe, CsPbX₃ nanocrystals, etc.

Emerging materials

Lead-free perovskites (Sn-based, double perovskites like Cs₂AgBiBr₆)

Novel hybrid heterojunctions

Why Choose UPVS Over TRPL or TA?

Traditional optical methods like TRPL (time-resolved photoluminescence) and TA (transient absorption) provide insight into carrier lifetimes, but they measure light emission or absorption, not actual device current. In contrast, the Ultrafast Photovoltaic Spectrometer (UPVS) measures direct photocurrent in operating solar cells with sub-40 ps resolution. This means you capture real electrical behavior—carrier drift, trap dynamics, hot-carrier transport—exactly as they affect efficiency.

TRPL: Only sees radiative recombination; misses trap-assisted and non-radiative processes.

TA: Requires high pump fluences, probes optical signatures, not device-level current.

UPVS: Works at realistic 1-sun conditions, reveals true carrier mobility, extraction, and trap effects, directly tied to performance.

With UPVS, you’re not just observing photons—you’re measuring the electrons that matter for efficiency!

Feature

UPVS (Ultrafast Photovoltaic Spectrometer)

TRPL (Time-Resolved Photoluminescence)

TA (Transient Absorption)

What it measures

Direct photocurrent (electrical signal)

Emitted photons from radiative recombination

Optical absorption changes

Time resolution

< 40 ps (Sub-1 ps option)

> 100 ps

> 0.5 ps

Relevance to devices

In-situ, working solar cells under 1-sun equivalent

Optical-only, no direct link to current extraction

Optical-only, indirect carrier signatures

Carrier processes captured

Drift transport, trap filling/release, hot carrier collection

Radiative recombination only

Excited state dynamics, polaron effects

Pump fluence

Realistic, low-intensity (~1-sun equivalent)

Often higher than operational levels

Very high (>10¹⁹–10²⁰ cm⁻³)

Mobility extraction

Yes (from ϕ·μ fits, field dependence)

Trap dynamics

Directly observed in current

Missed (non-radiative invisible)

Indirect, inferred from spectra

Key advantage

Direct electrical insight into efficiency-limiting processes

Good for optical recombination studies

Good for fundamental exciton/phonon dynamics

Unlike optical-only methods, UPVS reveals the true electrical heartbeat of a solar cell—capturing how charges move, get trapped, and are extracted—so you measure performance, not just photons.

Peer-Validated Performance

Nature Magazine

Leader in scientific journal and peer review

ACS Nano

Prominent Scientific Journel

Brock University

Cutting edge research in this feild

UPVS is not a prototype — it’s already trusted and published in the world’s leading journals. Multiple high-impact studies have relied on UPVS to uncover phenomena that traditional optical techniques could not. By choosing UPVS, you align your lab with cutting-edge researchers and a field-proven scientific method.

Nature Communications (2021): Directly resolved trap-assisted transport and shallow trap energetics with ps–ns precision.
ACS Nano (2023): Revealed band-like transport and phonon scattering before carrier trapping.
Follow-up publications (2023–2025): Demonstrated ballistic hot-carrier collection and quasi-3D free-carrier behavior in layered 2D perovskites.

Result: UPVS has already advanced the field — your lab can be next.

Software

Core Measurement Features

Automated time-resolved scans (ps → ns → ms range) with adjustable resolution.

Transient I–V mapping (bias-dependent dynamics plotted in real-time).

Temperature-dependent measurements with Arrhenius fitting for trap energy extraction.

Mobility extraction tools from field-dependent photocurrent (ϕ·μ calculation).

Hot-carrier analysis (transient Voc vs Eg tracking).

Data Handling & Analysis

Built-in fitting modules (exponential decays, trap-assisted tunneling, hopping models).

Spectral analysis tools when paired with tunable wavelength excitation.

Export to standard formats (CSV, MATLAB, Python, Origin, Igor).

Automated report generation (PDF/Word summary of key parameters).

User Interface & Workflow

Step-by-step measurement wizards for common experiments (lifetime, mobility, trap depth).

Live data visualization: oscilloscope-like transient traces, I–V overlays, 3D maps (time vs bias vs current).

Sample database: store measurement metadata (device type, fabrication notes, conditions).

Remote control/automation (LabVIEW, Python API, or REST interface for lab integration).

Advanced Options (premium or future upgrades)

Machine learning fitting assistant (auto-selects decay model).

Batch analysis for multiple devices.

Simulation overlay (compare measured traces to drift-diffusion model predictions).

Alarm/flagging when traps, mobility, or lifetime fall below user thresholds.

Ready to make better more efficient cells?

ULTRAFAST PHOTOVOLTAIC SPECTROMETER (UPVS)