The Impact of Back-Contact Materials and Absorber Layer Optimization on the Efficiency of Silicon and Tin-Based Perovskite Solar Cells-A SCAPS-1D Comparative Study

Abstract

Photovoltaic technology has evolved at a very higher rate and this has generated the enthusiasm to make solar cells efficient and environmental friendly. The paper provides a numerical evaluation of three solar cell designs based on the SCAPS-1D simulator tool with the purpose of discovering the impact of the choice of materials and device characteristics on the performance. The initial one is interested in a silicon-based solar cell, in which various back contact materials, including gold, copper, silver, iron, and graphene, are considered. It has been noted that metals of greater work functions are better at collecting charge and minimizing recombination losses, resulting in an ultimate efficiency of approximately 19.33. The second model focuses on a lead-free perovskite solar cell, the design of transport layers, and optimization of the absorber. In spite of the excellent optical absorption characteristics of this configuration with quantum efficiency up to almost 95, total performance is constrained by recombination losses and a reduced fill factor, leading to a low efficiency of approximately 18.63. The third model is an optimized lead-free perovskite structure that is built on CH₃NH₃SnBr₃ , in which various parameters are optimized. This causes better transportation of the charge and the increased efficiency of about 23.2. Temperature measurement also shows that higher temperature lowers the performance of the device as a result of the increased recombination. In general, the paper demonstrates the value of optimization of materials, organization, and the conditions of work.