Simulation of cuprous oxide solar cells using SILVACO TCAD

Abstract

In this work, we have done a numerical study of solar cells based on cuprous oxide (Cu2O) using the simulation program Silvaco Atlas. In the beginning, we simulated the AZO/ Cu2O solar cell without a buffer layer where cuprous oxide (Cu2O) was an active layer (absorber layer) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) was a window layer, we were able to reach a good agreement between the simulation results and experimental measurements of this solar cell (where its efficiency was 2.578 %). As a second study, based on the experimental data, we combined four different materials as buffer layers ZnO, ZMO, AGO, and ZGeO between the two AZO and Cu2O layers, it compared the obtained results with the results of the experimental work, for verify the compatibility of the obtained results with the experimental results of these solar cells, where we found that the solar cell's efficiency has significantly risen from 4.26 % (ZnO) to 8.72 % (ZGeO), which is in good accord with the measured values (4.13–8.23 %). As a third study, in order to improve the performance of the ZnO/ Cu2O heterojunction solar cell, it was proposed to combine many materials such as hole transport layers (CuI, CuSCN, and NiO). Also, the efficiency was improved by changing the thickness of the absorber layer, as well as the thickness and doping concentration of the holes transport layer, as well as the effect of different materials of the back electrode, where the optimized cell has achieved a remarkable conversion efficiency where it reached 6.36 %. As a final study, we have improved the efficiency of the ZGeO/Cu2O heterojunction solar cell through the influence of the bandgap and electron affinity of the buffer layer and the effect of the electron affinity of the front window, under these considerations, cell efficiency improved where it reaching 11.30 %.