Optimizing Perovskite LEDs and Tandem PV Cells: The Role of Photon-Recycling and Luminescent Coupling in Presence of Strong Light Scattering

Simon J. Zeder, Balthasar Blülle, Beat Ruhstaller, Urs Aeberhard; Optimizing perovskite LEDs and tandem PV cells: The role of photon-recycling and luminescent coupling in presence of strong light scattering. APL Energy 1 June 2025; 3 (2): 026110. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0268284

Photon recycling (PR) in light-emitting and light-absorbing devices with incoherent scattering is investigated using a novel optical framework, self-consistently coupled to electrical models for current- and voltage-controlled devices to trace the inherent optoelectronic backcoupling associated with PR. The study reveals a universal competition between photon re-absorption and scattering processes, which governs performance across device types.In PeLEDs, the optimal emitter layer thickness is highly sensitive to scattering outcoupling structures and PR; their consideration in modeling is crucial. Additionally, scattering structures impose stricter radiative efficiency requirements for PR to remain beneficial, highlighting the trade-off between loss mitigation and re-absorption penalties.For photovoltaic devices, the impact of front texture on PR and luminescent coupling (LC) in perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells is quantified, including the first demonstration of luminescent self-coupling at the emissive perovskite-coated texture. While the texture minimally affects PR/LC overall, both scattering and re-absorption redistribute photogeneration: LC enhances tandem efficiency by 4.4%abs in the Auger limit for bottom-limited configurations, illustrating how photon redirection alleviates current-matching constraints.

How this work will be integrated into Setfos

The optical multi-scale simulation framework developed for this work, which provides crucial insights into complex optoelectronic phenomena such as photon recycling and luminescent coupling in advanced devices like perovskite LEDs (PeLEDs) and perovskite-silicon tandem (PST) solar cells, is being integrated into Fluxim's SETFOS software. This integration will extend SETFOS's capabilities to include the detailed optical and electrical modelling approaches used in this study.