Design and numerical analysis of CIGS-based solar cell with V2O5 as the BSF layer to enhance photovoltaic performance

Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS)-based solar cells have exhibited greater performance than the ones utilizing cadmium telluride (CdTe) or hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si: H) as the absorber. CIGS-based devices are more efficient, considering their device performance, environmentally benign nature, and reduced cost. In this article, we proposed a potential CIGS-absorber-based solar cell with an FTO/ZnSe/CIGS/V2O5/Cu heterostructure, with a V2O5 back-surface field (BSF) layer, SnO2:F (FTO) window layer, and ZnSe buffer layer. Using the solar cell capacitance simulator one-dimensional simulation software, the effects of the presence of the BSF layer, the thickness, bulk defect density, and acceptor density of the absorber layer, buffer layer thickness, interfacial defect density, device resistance, and operating temperature on the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, fill factor, and efficiency, as well as on the quantum efficiency and recombination and generation rate, of the device have been explored in detail. The simulation results revealed that only a 1 mu m-thick-CIGS absorber layer with V2O5 BSF and ZnSe buffer layers in this structure offers an outstanding efficiency of 31.86% with a V-OC of similar to 0.9 V. Thus, these outcomes of the CIGS-based proposed heterostructure provide an insightful pathway for fabricating high-efficiency solar cells with performance more promising than the previously reported conventional designs. (c) 2023 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

This article proposes a potential CIGS absorber-based solar cell structure and conducts detailed simulations to study the effects of various parameters on the cell performance. The simulation results indicate that only in this structure, a solar cell with a 1 μm-thick CIGS absorber layer, V2O5 back-surface field, and ZnSe buffer layer can achieve a high efficiency of 31.86%.