Numerical Investigation of Cu₂O as Hole Transport Layer for High-Efficiency CIGS Solar Cell

Abstract

Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) is an inexpensive material that has the potential to dominate the next-generation photovoltaic (PV) industry. Here we detail computational investigation of CIGS solar cell with encouragement of adopting cuprous dioxide (Cu2O) as a Hole Transport Layer (HTL) for efficient fabricated CIGS solar cells. Although Cu2O as a HTL has been studied earlier for perovskite and other organic/inorganic solar cell yet no study has been detailed on potential application of Cu2O for CIGS solar cells. With the proposed architecture, recombination losses are fairly reduced at the back contact and contribute to enhanced photo-current generation. With the introduction of Cu2O, the overall cell efficiency is increased to 26.63%. The wide-band of Cu2O pulls holes from the CIGS absorber which allows smoother extraction of holes with experiencing lesser resistance. Further, it was also inferred that, HTL also improves the quantum efficiency (QE) for photons with large wavelengths thus increases the cell operating spectrum.

The Investigation of the Influence of a Cu2O Buffer Layer on Hole Transport Layers in MAPbI3-Based Perovskite Solar Cells

“…Additionally, the V oc was also increased (without Cu 2 O: V oc = 1.12 V, with Cu 2 O: V oc = 1.20 V), perhaps due to the decrease of recombination [52]. The wide gap band of Cu 2 O reduces recombination losses and pulls holes from the absorber, allowing for smoother extraction of the holes while experiencing lower resistance [53]. Meanwhile, Albert et al found that the deposition of CuOx does not degrade the surface of perovskite or introduce traps at the interface by adding a layer of CuOx between the PTAA and the anode [54].…”

Impact on generation and recombination rate in Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cell for Ag2S and In2Se3 buffer layers with CuSbS2 back surface field layer

“…The aim of the present study is to boost the parameters of SC by declining the recombination rate at the buffer layer. For this, two different buffer layers are taken; in addition, a BSF layer is also taken to minimize the overall rate of recombination in the buffer and window layer 19–21 . The silver sulfide (Ag 2 S) quantum dots are one of the newest items designed to enhance the SC's adaptability towards ultraviolet radiation and increase its absorption.…”