Silicon wafers produced by the Czochralski process with micrometer-scale pyramidal structural elements on their surfaces are significantly cheaper.

These microtextures capture more light because they are less reflective than a smooth surface. However, coating these wafers with perovskite results in many defects in the crystal lattice, which affect the electronic properties.

However, the team of researchers has developed a strategy for surface passivation that allows the surface defects of the perovskite layer to be smoothed out.