Effects of absorber layer thickness and doping density on the performance of perovskite solar cells: a simulation analysis using SCAPS-1D software

Ibrahim Yaacoub Bouderbala; Nor-El Houda Hamdi

doi:10.57056/ajet.v8i1.101

Authors

Ibrahim Yaacoub Bouderbala Applied Optics laboratory, Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, University of Ferhat Abbas, Setif 19000, Algeria.
Nor-El Houda Hamdi Applied Optics laboratory, Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, University of Ferhat Abbas, Setif 19000, Algeria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57056/ajet.v8i1.101

Keywords:

SCAPS-1D, Perovskite solar cell, MASnI3, Absorber layer, Doping density

Abstract

The photovoltaic devices based on perovskite have witnessed a rapid increase in performance and are moving towards commercialization due to their low-cost electricity production. In this simulation work, we studied the photovoltaic performance of solar cells based on methylammonium tin iodide (MASnI₃) perovskite materials using the numerical simulation tool SCAPS-1D. The main objective is to improve the performance of this solar cell by determining the optimum properties for its operation. The influence of different key parameters, such as the thickness of the absorber layer and the doping acceptor density in the same layer, is thoroughly analyzed through SCAPS-1D. The optimized absorber layer with a thickness of 700 nm shows the highest power conversion efficiency of 26.21%. An increase in the doping density in the perovskite layer roughly increases the efficiency performance of the device to 30.21%. Based on our simulation results, it can be concluded that the TiO₂/MASnI₃/Spiro-OMeTAD structure for PSC is a potential alternative to the third generation of solar cells. It has the potential to be efficient and inexpensive in future research.

References

Wang Z, Lin Q, Chmiel FP, Sakai N, Herz LM, Snaith HJ. Efficient ambient-air-stable solar cells with 2D–3D heterostructured butylammonium-caesium-formamidinium lead halide perovskites. Nature Energy. 2017, 2;9:1-10.

Liu Y, Yang, Z, Cui D, Ren X, Sun J, Liu X, Zhang J, Wei Q, Fan H, Yu F, Zhang X, Zhao C, Liu S. Two‐inch‐sized perovskite CH3NH3PbX3 (X= Cl, Br, I) crystals: growth and characterization. Advanced materials. 2015, 27;35:5176-5183.

Yang D, Yang Z, Qin, W, Zhang Y, Liu SF, Li C. Alternating precursor layer deposition for highly stable perovskite films towards efficient solar cells using vacuum deposition. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 2015, 3;18:9401-9405.

Lin Q, Armin A, Nagiri RCR, Burn PL, Meredith P. Electro-optics of perovskite solar cells. Nature Photonics. 2015, 9;2:106-112.

Kojima A, Teshima K, Shirai Y, Miyasaka T. Organometal halide perovskites as visible-light sensitizers for photovoltaic cells. Journal of the american chemical society. 2009, 131;17:6050-6051.

“NREL Efficiency Chart 2021,” https://www.nrel.gov/pv/cell-efficiency.html, Apr.2022.

Atta NF, Galal A, El-Ads EH, Tech. Chapter 4, 2016, 108-151.

Heo JH, ImSH, Noh JH, Mandal TN, Lim CS, Chang JA, Lee YH, Kim H, Sarkar A, Nazeeruddin MK, Grätzel M, Seok SI. Efficient inorganic–organic hybrid heterojunction solar cells containing perovskite compound and polymeric hole conductors. Nature photonics. 2013, 7;6:486-491.

Hussein M, Iqbal Z, Li G, Pascual J, Alharthi F, Abate A, Li M, Challenges in tin perovskite solar cells. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2021, 23;41:23413-23427.

Prakash J, Singh A, Sathiyan G, Ranjan R, Singh A, Garg A, Gupta RK. Progress in tailoring perovskite based solar cells through compositional engineering: Materials properties, photovoltaic performance and critical issues. Materials today energy. 2018, 9:440-486.

Ran C, Xi J, Gao W, Yuan F, Lei T, Jiao B, Hou X, Wu Z. Bilateral interface engineering toward efficient 2D–3D bulk heterojunction tin halide lead-free perovskite solar cells. ACS Energy Letters. 2018, 3;3:713-721.

Li B, Chang B, Pan L, Li Z, Fu L, He Z, Yin L. Tin-based defects and passivation strategies in tin-related perovskite solar cells. ACS Energy Letters. 2020, 5;12:3752-3772.

Eli D, Onimisi MY, Garba S, Ugbe RU, Owolabi JA, Ige OO, Ibeh GJ, Muhammed AO. Simulation and optimization of lead-based perovskite solar cells with cuprous oxide as a P-type inorganic layer. Journal of the Nigerian Society of Physical Sciences. 2019,1;2:72-81.

Hussain SS, Riaz S, Nowsherwan GA, Jahangir K, Raza A, Iqbal MJ, Sadiq I, Hussain SM, Naseem S. Numerical modeling and optimization of lead-free hybrid double perovskite solar cell by using SCAPS-1D. Journal of Renewable Energy. 2021, 1-12.

Burgelman M, Nollet P, Degrave S. Modelling polycrystalline semiconductor solar cells. Thin solid films. 2000, 361:527-532.

Rutledge SA, Helmy AS. Carrier mobility enhancement in poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly (styrenesulfonate) having undergone rapid thermal annealing. Journal of Applied Physics. 2013, 114;13:133708.

Jayan KD, Sebastian V. Comprehensive device modelling and performance analysis of MASnI3 based perovskite solar cells with diverse ETM, HTM and back metal contacts. Solar Energy. 2012, 217:40-48.

Du HJ, Wang WC, Zhu JZ. Device simulation of lead-free CH3NH3SnI3 perovskite solar cells with high efficiency. Chinese Physics B. 2016, 25;10:108802.

Husainat A, Ali W, Cofie P, Attia J, Fuller J. Simulation and analysis of methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) perovskite solar cell with Au contact using SCAPS 1D simulator. American Journal of Optics and Photonics. 2019,7;2:33.

Sahu A, Dixit A. Inverted structure perovskite solar cells: A theoretical study. Current Applied Physics. 2018,18;12:1583-1591.

Hao F, Stoumpos CC, Cao DH, Chang RP, Kanatzidis MG. Lead-free solid-state organic–inorganic halide perovskite solar cells. Nature photonics. 2014, 8;6:489-494.

Hock R, Mayer T, Jaegermann W. P-type doping of spiro-MeOTAD with WO3 and the Spiro-MeOTAD/WO3 interface investigated by synchrotron-induced photoelectron spectroscopy. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2012, 116;34:18146-18154.

Mandadapu U, Vedanayakam SV, Thyagarajan K, Reddy MR, Babu BJ. Design and simulation of high efficiency tin halide perovskite solar cell. Int. J. Renewable Energy Res. 2017, 7;4:1603-1612.

Raoui Y, Ez-Zahraouy H, Tahiri N, El Bounagui O, Ahmad S, Kazim S. Performance analysis of MAPbI3 based perovskite solar cells employing diverse charge selective contacts: Simulation study. Solar Energy. 2019,193:948-955.

Liu D, Gangishetty MK, Kelly TL. Effect of CH3NH3PbI3 thickness on device efficiency in planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 2014, 2;46:19873-19881.

Pazos-Outón LM, Xiao TP, Yablonovitch E. Fundamental efficiency limit of lead iodide perovskite solar cells. The journal of physical chemistry letters. 2018, 9;7:1703-1711.

Singh AK, Srivastava S, Mahapatra A, Baral JK, Pradhan B. Performance optimization of lead free-MASnI3 based solar cell with 27% efficiency by numerical simulation. Optical Materials. 2021, 117:111193.

Lin L, Li P, Jiang L, Kang Z, Yan Q, Xiong H, Lien S, Zhang P, Qiu Y. Boosting efficiency up to 25% for HTL-free carbon-based perovskite. Sol. Energy. 2021, 215:328–334.

Mandadapu U, Vedanayakam SV, Thyagarajan K, Babu BJ. Optimisation of high efficiency tin halide perovskite solar cells using SCAPS-1D. International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling. 2018,13;3:221-227.

Azri F, Meftah A, Sengouga N, Meftah A. Electron and hole transport layers optimization by numerical simulation of a perovskite solar cell. Solar energy, 2019,181:372-378.

Abdelaziz S, Zekry A, Shaker A, Abouelatta M. Investigating the performance of formamidinium tin-based perovskite solar cell by SCAPS device simulation. Optical Materials. 2020,101:109738.

Yasin S, Al Zoubi T, Moustafa M. Design and simulation of high efficiency lead-free heterostructure perovskite solar cell using SCAPS-1D. Optik. 2021,229:166258.

Belarbi M, Zeggai O, Louhibi-Fasla S. Numerical study of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite solar cells using SCAPS-1D simulation program. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2022,51:2115-2119.

Gan Y, Zhao D, Qin B, Bi X, Liu Y, Ning W, Yang R, Jiang, Q. Numerical Simulation of High-Performance CsPbI3/FAPbI3 Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells. Energies, 2022,15;19:7301.