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Mathematical modelling of a novel heterojunction SIS front surface and interdigitated back-contact solar cell

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Abstract

In this paper, we propose the design and fabrication of a novel heterojunction semiconductor–insulator–semiconductor (SIS) front surface and interdigitated back-contact (IBC) solar cell. We approximate the performance parameters and loss analysis of the proposed solar cell using MATLAB software programming. Many studies have reported the experimental analysis of amorphous silicon (a-Si) IBC solar cells. A number of silicon heterojunction solar cell designs with promising efficiency have been reported in the past few decades. In this study, a long-lifetime (~ 2 ms) n-Si substrate was considered so that a sufficient number of photogenerated carriers could reach the interdigitated layer and be absorbed. The availability of carriers at the interdigitated back surface was further enhanced by considering a high-low junction created by a ZnO n+ layer at the front surface. A very thin layer of thermally deposited insulator SiO2 was considered between the ZnO and n-Si. This layer reduces the detrimental effects of interface defects. This is the first study in which we have theoretically investigated an IBC solar cell using metal oxide semiconductor layer deposition, thereby avoiding the expensive and complicated doping and diffusion process. In general, a high-concentration n+ layer is doped to create a high-low junction at the front to accelerate the transport of carriers to the back junctions. We propose a cost-effective method using thermal deposition of a SiO2 layer followed by sol–gel ZnO layer deposition, which serves the same purpose as an n+ layer by introducing an SIS junction potential at the front. The interdigitated back surface was designed with sequential n+ a-Si and p+ a-Si vertical junctions.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology for providing us with MATLAB software for simulation.

Funding

No institutional funding was used.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Advance Research in Renewable Energy and Sensor Technology, Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology, Kolkata, 700150, India

    Kaustuv Dasgupta, Soma Ray & Utpal Gangopadhyay

  2. Centre for Green Energy and Sensor System, IIEST, Howrah, 711103, India

    Kaustuv Dasgupta & Soma Ray

  3. Department of Chemistry, IIEST, Howrah, 711103, India

    Anup Mondal

Authors
  1. Kaustuv Dasgupta
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  2. Anup Mondal
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  3. Soma Ray
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  4. Utpal Gangopadhyay
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Contributions

Kaustuv Dasgupta: Manuscript writing, theoretical analysis, coding, results analysis. Utpal Gangopadhyay: Ideation, supervision, data analysis. Anup Mondal: Supervision, data correction. Soma Ray: Technical support, data analysis.

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Correspondence to Kaustuv Dasgupta.

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Dasgupta, K., Mondal, A., Ray, S. et al. Mathematical modelling of a novel heterojunction SIS front surface and interdigitated back-contact solar cell. J Comput Electron 20, 1779–1806 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10825-021-01735-2

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