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In the present article, modeling outcomes of novel and third-generation heterojunctions (3G) thin-film solar cells (TFSCs): quaternary semiconductor compound CZTS and ternary semiconductor compound CuSbS2 and CuSbSe2 have been presented. Solar cells have been studied and analysed to investigate optimized structure with good efficiency. CuSbS2 and C...
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... study, the performance of the device structure with three different absorber layers is optimized. In this structure ITO has taken as the window layer, ZnS as a buffer layer, Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 or CuSbS 2 or CuSbSe 2 adopted as an absorber layer. Mo has been taken as a back contact. The comparative analysis has been done for different absorber layers. Fig. 1 shows the device structure of the photovoltaic cell which has been ...
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... E g represents the bandgap energy, K represents the Boltzmann constant, T represents the absolute temperature in Kelvin, D h and D e represents the diffusion constants of the hole and electron, N v and N c are valance and conduction band of the density of states, N A is the acceptor concentration, J sc represents the short circuit current density and L n is the diffusion length of the electrons (Simya et al., 2016). ...
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... Table 2 it is evident that CuSbS 2 device comparatively has better performance than CZTS and CuSbSe 2 based solar cell devices. The J-V characteristics of CZTS, CuSbS 2 and CuSbSe 2 based absorber layer solar cells are shown in Fig. ...
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... Fig. 11 it is found that CuSbSe 2 based solar cells have lower FF and efficiency while it has a current density (J sc = 36.97 mA/cm 2 ) as compared to CusbS 2 and CZTS. The quantum efficiency characteristics of CZTS, CuSbS 2 and CuSbSe 2 based absorber layer solar cells are shown in Fig. 12 The external quantum efficiency (EQE) depends on both ...
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... Fig. 11 it is found that CuSbSe 2 based solar cells have lower FF and efficiency while it has a current density (J sc = 36.97 mA/cm 2 ) as compared to CusbS 2 and CZTS. The quantum efficiency characteristics of CZTS, CuSbS 2 and CuSbSe 2 based absorber layer solar cells are shown in Fig. 12 The external quantum efficiency (EQE) depends on both the absorption of light and the collection of charges. The absorption coefficient of CZTS, CuSbS 2 and CuSbSe 2 are 10 4 , 5x10 4 and 3.2 × 10 5 respectively ( Kumar and Persson, 2014). After receiving a photon and forming an electron-hole pair, these charges must be separated and ...
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... Fig. 12 it is evident that quantum efficiency in case of CuSbS 2 and CuSbSe 2 is decreasing gradually with the wavelength while overall reduction in quantum efficiency above 800 nm in CuSbS 2 could be attributed to the reflection and low diffusion range . On the other hand, in the case of CZTS and CuSbSe 2 quantum efficiency decreases ...
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... while V r and V b represent the reveres voltage and built-in voltage respectively. The grading coefficient (m) determine the types of junction which can take the value 1/2 and 1/3 denoting abrupt junction and linear graded junction, respectively. The plot of the natural logarithm of capacitance and the natural logarithm of voltage is shown in Fig. 13. From a linear portion of lnC versus lnV when V≫Vb the value of g can measure from the slope (Nawar and Makhlouf, 2018). The relation between built-involtage and acceptor density of the absorber layer at the cell junction were derived from 1/ C 2 vs. V plot of C-V data which is given ...
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... the effective density of the states for solar cells within the valence band of the different absorber layer CZTS, CuSbS 2 and CuSbSe 2 . The effective density of the state for the different absorber layer are listed in Table 1. C-V analysis of the CZTS, CuSbS 2 and CuSbSe 2 has been examined at different frequencies under the dark condition. From Fig. 13 it can be seen that with an increase in the voltage (decrease in reverse bias potential and increase in the forward bias potential) of the CZTS solar cell to a certain voltage increase after that it starts decreasing no matter the value of potential reverse or forward bias applied > 1 V. This decrease in both sides (i.e forward and ...
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... cell to a certain voltage increase after that it starts decreasing no matter the value of potential reverse or forward bias applied > 1 V. This decrease in both sides (i.e forward and reverse side) because of increased dielectric dispersion of the device and the interface charges, the AC signal could not be followed (Chandra et al., 2007). In Fig. 14 & Fig. 15 high value of the capacitance at low voltage are observed. Due to the presence of the interface state in the C-V plot, the high value of the capacitance at low frequency may obtain ( Tripathi et al., ...
Citations
... In other cases, a small decrease in J SC was observed, which could be attributed to the minute light absorption in buffers and the resulting reduction in charge carrier generation in the absorber 43 . Other researchers have noticed a minor change in J SC due to an increase in buffer thickness, which is considered a constraint in numerical simulations [64][65][66][67] . Figure 2c shows that FF significantly increases from 35 68 . ...
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Published: 17 January 2024
Highly efficient emerging Ag2BaTiSe4 solar cells using a new class of alkaline earth metal-based chalcogenide buffers alternative to CdS
Kaviya Tracy Arockiya Dass, M. Khalid Hossain & Latha Marasamy
Scientific Reports volume 14, Article number: 1473 (2024) Cite this article
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Abstract
Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 is a non-toxic, earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber. However, its efficiency is limited by a large open circuit voltage (VOC) deficit occurring due to its antisite defects and improper band alignment with toxic CdS buffer. Therefore, finding an absorber and non-toxic buffers that reduce VOC deficit is crucial. Herein, for the first time, Ag2BaTiSe4 is proposed as an alternative absorber using SCAPS-1D wherein a new class of alkaline earth metal chalcogenide such as MgS, CaS, SrS, and BaS is applied as buffers, and their characteristics are compared with CdS to identify their potential and suitability. The buffer and absorber properties are elucidated by tuning their thickness, carrier concentration, and defect density. Interestingly, optimization of the buffer’s carrier concentration suppressed the barrier height and accumulation of charge carriers at the absorber/buffer interface, leading to efficiencies of 18.81%, 17.17%, 20.6%, 20.85%, 20.08% in MgS, CaS, SrS, BaS, and CdS-based solar cells respectively. Upon optimizing Ag2BaTiSe4, MoSe2, and interface defects maximum efficiency of > 28% is achieved with less VOC loss (~ 0.3 V) in all solar cells at absorber’s thickness, carrier concentration, and defect density of 1 µm, 1018 cm−3, 1015 cm−3 respectively, underscoring the promising nature of Ag2BaTiSe4 absorber and new alkaline earth metal chalcogenide buffers in photovoltaics.
... The EIS is a powerful tool to uproot various electrical parameters of the device and to study the charge transfer mechanism at the device interface [27]. Impedance spectroscopy computes the impedance of a system to an applied voltage by using a small exciton signal. ...
Organic conjugate semiconductor, poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiopene): poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and silicon (Si) based hybrid heterojunction solar cells (HSCs) have shown tremendous potential as an alternative low-cost approach to the traditional crystalline Si (c-Si) solar cell technology. In the HSCs, opto-electronic properties of the organic layer play critical part in the junction formation and hence the performance of device. Therefore, the present study aims at tailoring the PEDOT:PSS thickness via spin speed variation of the organic solution and investigate its effect on morphological (PEDOT:PSS/Si interface), optical, surface passivation property and the device (HSCs) performance parameters. The results are further supported by comprehensive analysis of FESEM, UV–Vis–NIR, minority carrier lifetime, dark and illuminated J-V characteristics, quantum efficiency and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results of the solar cells utilizing the low-cost solar grade and thin Si wafers. The PEDOT:PSS layer exhibits anti-reflective and surface passivation properties in addition to forming efficient junction with n-Si. It has been found that the thickness of 140 ± 24 nm is the optimum for efficient HSCs on polished Si surfaces, with maximum efficiency of 8.89% contributed by the best optical, passivation and PEDOT:PSS/Si junction properties for effective generation of the charge carriers, separation and hence their transportation to the respective electrodes in the most fundamental device structure of ‘Ag/PEDOT:PSS/n-Si/In:Ga’. The present work may guide to the development of PEDOT:PSS/n-Si based optoelectronic devices via simple low thermal budget solution process.
... This peak corresponds to the frequency at which the perovskite layer in the device responds most strongly to the applied electric field. The shape and position of the peak in the capacitance-frequency graph can provide information about the properties of absorber layer, such as its thickness and composition, as well as the presence of defects or traps that can affect the device performance [57]. A shift in the peak position to higher frequencies may indicate a decrease in the charge carrier mobility or an increase in trap density, which can lead to a decrease in device efficiency. ...
In this study, an environmental-friendly heterostructure perovskite solar cell is constructed using non-toxic, lead-free double perovskite material (FA)2BiCuI6 as an active layer. The proposed device architecture is FTO/STO/(FA)2BiCuI6/GO/Pd. An extensive theoretical analysis and optimization is conducted using SCAPS-1D simulation tool. The thickness of absorber layer, shallow acceptor density, back metal contact and operating temperature are varied to optimize performance parameter of device. Optimized results have been observed at 700 nm absorber thickness for shallow acceptor density 1.0 × 1019 cm−3 and 300 K operating temperature. A small value of series resistance 1 Ω cm2 along with high shunt resistance 100,000 Ω cm2 is incorporated from the initial condition. The solar cell characteristics obtained are as open circuit voltage 1.10 V, short circuit current density 26.03 mA/cm2, fill factor 86.62% and device power conversion efficiency 24.69%. The study concludes that the metal-work function can be carefully modulated to further enhance the performance characteristics of a device. Generation recombination has been studied. Further current density–voltage characteristics (J–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V), and capacitance–frequency (C–f) characteristics have also been studied to explore the electrical characteristics of device. These findings suggest that a thorough analysis of materials could lead to their potential use as a high-performance active material for solar applications.
... At lower frequency, there is an abrupt increase in the minority charge carriers leading to more injection of the charge carriers. This phenomena leads to enhancement of charge carrier recombination rate within the p-n junction, which is represented by the maximum value of the capacitance [32]. The dependence of capacitance on the frequency can be further understood from the relation [33]: ...
Inorganic–Organic hybridization provides an alternative route for resolving the limitations associated with crystalline silicon (c-Si) such as high temperature processing, complex fabrication techniques by taking integrated advantages of both the materials. Therefore, hybrid heterojunction solar cell (HSCs) becomes promising candidates in easy and efficient fabrication of photovoltaic (PV) devices. Thus, to fabricate and comprehend the working principle of a practical, economical, and viable device with better PV performance, numerical modelling and simulation plays a very crucial role in cutting down the cost of fabrication, minimising the experimental time scale and producing great integration capabilities. Hence, the performance of phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with p-Si was analysed by exploring the effect of various controllable material parameters such as: thickness, acceptor density, donor density, defect density, back metal contact, temperature, light intensity and resistances using Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in one Dimension (SCAPS-1D) tool. It is found that the solar cell design, ‘Ag/PCBM/p-Si/Au’ can achieve device power conversion efficiency as high as 27.67% under the optimized set of parameters. These parameters are: thickness of p-Si as 200 µm, acceptor density and defect density of p-Si as 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ and 10¹⁴ cm⁻³ respectively, thickness of PCBM as 5 nm and its donor density as 10²⁰ cm⁻³; temperature of the solar cell as 300 K for the minimum (0 Ωcm²) and maximum (1.0 × 10⁶ Ωcm²) values of series and shunt resistance respectively with Au (5.1 eV) as back metal contact under the illumination intensity of 100 mW/cm². Results of the study provides exhaustive theoretical basis for conducting experimental study and providing constructive research avenues for PV industry in fabricating simple, efficient and high performing solar cells in near future.
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... It is a highly doped p-type material, also, it is an alternative absorber layer material used as a BSF layer in the present work because of its earth-abundance, low cost, and non-toxic nature. 17,[22][23][24][25] Here, In 2 Se 3 and Ag 2 S have been deliberately selected as buffer layers to explore their morphology and structure to accurately represent the results of simulations; CuSbS 2 is taken as the BSF layer. Basic electronic and optical properties of CuSbS 2 material include an almost ideal direct band gap of 1.37 eV to 1.58 eV and greater broad-spectrum optical absorption (10 5 cm À1 ), a moderate acceptor concentration (10 16 -10 20 cm À3 ), chemically stable phase, and a low melting point (551 C), appear to be approaching p-type material for PV cells. ...
For photovoltaic (PV) applications, the earth-abundant and non-hazardous Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is a possible substitute for chalcopyrite copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). This research offers insight into the most innovative method for improving the performance of Kesterite solar cells (SCs) by using CuSbS2 back surface field (BSF) and Ag2S and In2Se3 as buffer layers, focuses on aligning energy bands, reducing non-radiative recombination, and improving open-circuit voltage (Voc). The proposed cells are Ni/CuSbS2/CZTS/In2Se3/ITO/Al and Ni/CuSbS2/CZTS/Ag2S/ITO/Al by adding interfaces. The optimized CZTS SCs with In2Se3 achieve a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 30.274 mA/cm2, fill factor (FF) of 89.15%, power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 31.67%, and Voc of 1.173 V. With the Ag2S buffer layer, PCE is 31.02%, FF is 88.61%, Jsc is 30.245 mA/cm2, and Voc is 1.157 V. These results depict the potential of CZTS-based SCs with improved performance compared with conventional structures.
... , where the values are collected from previously demonstrated experimental and theoretical manuscripts(Sawicka-Chudy et al. 2018;Singh et al. 2021). ...
Perovskite materials are already showing their promising potential in solar cell development through their performance. To improve the performance to a greater extent, researchers have always explored different organic and inorganic materials compositions, among which CH3NH3PbI3 is one of the most studied and analyzed. However, the popularity of lead (Pb) based perovskite materials has been held back in large-scale applications and the manufacturing industry due to its higher toxicity levels. Researchers turned to alternative lead-free inorganic perovskite materials for their comparative stability and non-toxic behaviors. This manuscript explores the performance of a lead-free Cs2TiX6-based n–i–p type heterostructure perovskite solar cell design performed using a one-dimensional device simulator, also known as the SCAPS-1D. Here, the design holds Cs2TiCl6 as an n-type front absorber, Cs2TiI6 as an I (intrinsic)-layer absorber and Cs2TiBr6 as a p-type absorber. Again, NiO (p) and ZnO (n) are utilized as the hole transport material and electron transport material, respectively. The fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) acts as a front contact, conductive oxide, while Pt (platinum) is used as the back contact. Then the results of the proposed cell architecture were evaluated by varying parameters such as absorber thickness, doping concentration, work function for the back contact, various resistance types, operating temperature, and defect densities. After optimization, the fill factor (FF), device efficiency, open circuit voltage (Voc), and short circuit current density (Jsc) for our device stands at 80%, 27.36%, 1.3505 V, and 24.707735 mA/cm², respectively. Gaining a higher efficiency value of our solar cell while being lead-free inorganic material-based will surely give researchers a roadmap of future research directions.
... Different curves have been plotted and an analysis of the curve is done. The spectral response and EFD (Electric field distribution) can be determined by solving Poisson's equation (1) and the continuity equations for the charge carriers as in equations (2) and (3), respectively [23,24]. ...
In recent years, quantum dot solar cells have attracted attention due to their versatile electrical and optical properties as a material. A quantum dot solar cell can be tuned in terms of bandgap and size. In this work, the effect of defect density on the performance of a solar cell is studied with the help of the Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in One Dimension (SCAPS-1D) software. The defect densities of poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA)/lead sulfide (PbS)–tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) and lead sulfide–TBAI/titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) are varied from 1 × 10 ¹⁰ to 1 × 10 ¹⁷ cm ⁻² , and the electron mobility of titanium dioxide, temperature and work function are also varied. These simulation-based quantum dot absorber-based solar cells may, in the future, prove to be extremely effective quantum dot solar cells.
... It is evident that FF and PCE increase with R sh initially until becoming constant at 10 8 Ω cm 2 . Beyond this point, no further substantial variation was seen with a rise in R sh [39,40]. ...
... where C sc is the space-charge capacitance (F cm −2 ), N is the charge carriers density (cm −3 ), ε 0 is the vacuum permittivity (8.8 10 -14 F cm −1 ), ε r = 12 is the dielectric constant of CAS material [43,44], A is the surface area of the working photocathode (~ 1 cm 2 ), V is the applied potential (V vs. RHE), V fb is the flat-band potential, k B is the Boltzmann constant (1.38 10 -23 J k −1 ), q is the charge electron (− 1.6 10 -19 C) and T is the absolute temperature (K). The M-S plot for the ACAS10 sample displayed a cathodic slope, revealing that it is a p-type semiconductor, as shown in Fig. 11. ...
In this work, an environmentally friendly and cost-effective one-step electrodeposition technique was used to synthesize Ag-doped CuSbS2 (CAS) thin films to optimize the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties. An experimental study was performed on undoped and doped samples by tuning the concentrations of silver chloride (AgCl), as Ag doped precursor. The impact of Ag-coating on structural, physical properties, and PEC performances of electrodeposited CAS thin films have been thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). XPS measurements corroborated the incorporation of Ag ions into the host CAS photocathodes. Under optimized Ag-coating degree (10 at.%Cu) (ACAS10), the photocurrent density of the built photocathode generates a maximum photocurrent density up to ca. − 0.52 mA cm⁻² at 0 V vs. RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode), which is approximately 10 times higher than the undoped one. In addition, a considerable anodically shift in the onset potential could reach 0.48 V vs. RHE. Internal photon-to-current conversion efficiencies (IPCEs) measurements showed the spectral distribution of the photocurrent generation revealing a broad response of the CAS-based photocathode. The stability tests were investigated for all the photoelectrodes at 0 V vs. RHE and revealed that the photocurrent retention could be obtained under chopped illumination for 10 min. The flat band potential (Vfb = 0.46 V vs. RHE) and acceptor coating density NA = 1.2 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ were estimated by Mott Schottky measurements. The Nyquist plot displays only one well-shaped semicircular arc, which approves the good homogeneity of all found CAS photocathodes. We believe that the optimized Ag-coating process of the CAS photocathode is an effective and efficient tuning of the physical properties resulting in boosted PEC properties for generating solar fuels from water.
... Considering recent technological advancements and a growing population, one of the deliberate tasks entrusted to modern science and technology is to fulfil the demands of clean and free energy [1]. To minimize pollution produced by the widespread use of fossil fuels and to protect the earth's biosystems' biological cycles it is necessary to shift towards renewable sources of energy [2]. Nearly four million exajoules (i.e., 10 18 Joule) of solar radiation reach the surface of the earth per year, and among this approximately 5 × 10 4 EJ could be easily harvested. ...
... The parameters of different layers of solar photovoltaic devices were utilized to conduct the investigation[2,7,9,10,15]. ...
Quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs) have recently attracted a lot of interest since the materials used in them are eco-friendly, good light harvesters, and cheap. Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator-1 dimensional software (SCAPS-1D) is used to carry out this numerical analysis. In the present work, the optimization of two different device architectures is investigated having WO3 and WS2 two different electron transport layer(ETL). In the proposed device structure, Sb2Se3 is used as an absorber layer and PbS is used as HTL and CdS is used as a buffer layer. The main objective of this effort is to determine how changing from the WO3 ETL to the WS2 ETL affects the photovoltaic parameters. Initially, the solar photovoltaic device is optimized, and then the effect of doping concentrations is investigated. In addition, the effect of series and shunt resistance on the solar device’s performance is examined to illustrate the impact of series and shunt resistance on the device’s performance. The effect of increasing temperature on the PV parameters is also studied and it is observed that the solar device is temperature-sensitive. Finally, the optimized performance with WS2 ETL with PCE of 20.60% is achieved.
