Device Simulation of a Thin-Layer CsSnI₃-Based Solar Cell with Enhanced 31.09% Efficiency

Abstract

In the last decade, perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) have become the hotspot in photovoltaic (PV) research around the globe because of their excellent photovoltaic performance in terms of their high-power conversion efficiency. However, the stability and existence of lead in the perovskite absorber layer hindered their use in practical applications. In the present study, we evaluated the numerical simulation-based performance of oxide/perovskite/oxide-type PSCs using the one-dimensional solar cell capacitance program (SCAPS-1D). Initially, the effect of various oxide-based electron transport layers (ETLs; TiO2, SnO2, and ZnO) and hole transport layers (HTLs; NiO, Cu2O, and CuO) on PSC performance was evaluated. It was found that a solar cell with TiO2 as an ETL and NiO as an HTL (FTO/n-TiO2/CsSnI3/p-NiO) exhibited the highest PV performance in terms of power conversion efficiency (PCE ∼ 30.57%), and other parameters were open circuit voltage (V OC ∼ 0.98 V), short circuit current density (J SC ∼ 35.17 mA/cm2) and fill factor (FF ∼ 88.43%). Next, we evaluated the effect of the thickness of TiO2, NiO, and CsSnI3 layers of the above-benchmarked device, along with their bulk and interface defects in detail. It is successfully demonstrated that the PCE and FF can further reach values of 31.09 and 88.39%, respectively, at a 1.25 μm thick CsSnI3 absorber with a band gap of E g ∼ 1.35 eV. The obtained results and detailed analysis will provide an important basis for the selection of CsSnI3 as an absorber with optimized defects.

Optimization of Lead-Free Sn-Based Perovskite Solar Cells using SCAPs-1D Simulation Techniques

“…Similar patterns were seen in the deterioration of PCE, which is mostly dependent on FF and tends to decline as the FF value decreases. The highest performance of the Perovskite device was attained with a band gap value of 1.35 eV, which is closely aligned with existing literature and published research [36][37][38][39].…”

“…Increasing the temperature considerably decreased the Voc, FF, and PCE. The decline in Perovskite performance metrics with increasing temperature is attributed to changes in carrier concentrations, charge carrier mobility, device resistance, and band gap [38,39]. Increased temperature can lead to more stress and deformation in Perovskite devices, leading to increased interfacial recombination and SHR current transformation.…”

High-efficiency ultra-thin GaAs solar cells based on ITO/Ag/ITO transparent electrodes and photonic crystals

“…PCE gauges a solar cell's ability to convert sunlight into electricity, crucial for determining its performance. Higher efficiency leads to increased power output, maximizing the utilization of solar energy [23,24].…”

Optimization of Perovskite-KSnI3 Solar Cell by Using Different Hole and Electron Transport Layers: A Numerical SCAPS-1D Simulation

“…Optimizing the doping density of the hole and electron transport layers with appropriate dopants can improve their charge mobility and collection probability. For instance, p-type dopants in the hole transport layer (HTL) and n-type dopants in the electron transport layer (ETL) can enhance charge transport, reduce resistive losses, and suppress recombination . While doping the perovskite layer with suitable elements can passivate defects and reduce trap states, leading to improved charge carrier lifetimes and reduced recombination which results in the attainment of the 20.99% PCE.…”