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Strategy to Achieve > 27.5% Efficient PCBM/p-Silicon Hybrid Heterojunction Solar Cell: Analysis of Photovoltaic Performances via SCAPS-1D

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Abstract

Inorganic–Organic hybridization provides an alternative route for resolving the limitations associated with crystalline silicon (c-Si) such as high temperature processing, complex fabrication techniques by taking integrated advantages of both the materials. Therefore, hybrid heterojunction solar cell (HSCs) becomes promising candidates in easy and efficient fabrication of photovoltaic (PV) devices. Thus, to fabricate and comprehend the working principle of a practical, economical, and viable device with better PV performance, numerical modelling and simulation plays a very crucial role in cutting down the cost of fabrication, minimising the experimental time scale and producing great integration capabilities. Hence, the performance of phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with p-Si was analysed by exploring the effect of various controllable material parameters such as: thickness, acceptor density, donor density, defect density, back metal contact, temperature, light intensity and resistances using Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in one Dimension (SCAPS-1D) tool. It is found that the solar cell design, ‘Ag/PCBM/p-Si/Au’ can achieve device power conversion efficiency as high as 27.67% under the optimized set of parameters. These parameters are: thickness of p-Si as 200 µm, acceptor density and defect density of p-Si as 1019 cm−3 and 1014 cm−3 respectively, thickness of PCBM as 5 nm and its donor density as 1020 cm−3; temperature of the solar cell as 300 K for the minimum (0 Ωcm2) and maximum (1.0 × 106 Ωcm2) values of series and shunt resistance respectively with Au (5.1 eV) as back metal contact under the illumination intensity of 100 mW/cm2. Results of the study provides exhaustive theoretical basis for conducting experimental study and providing constructive research avenues for PV industry in fabricating simple, efficient and high performing solar cells in near future.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to Director, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, India for kind support (Grant Code: OLP230432). Urvashi Punia acknowledges University Grants Commission (UGC), Govt. of India for fellowship grant (NTA Ref. No: 191620050801). Premshila Kumari also acknowledges National Renewable Energy Fellowship Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (NREF-MNRE), Govt. of India (grant code: 342-12/5/2019-HRD) for the research fellowship. Authors are also thankful to Professor Marc Burgelman, University of Gent, Belgium, for providing SCAPS simulation software.

Funding

Authors, Urvashi Punia and Premshila Kumari received research fellowships from University Grants Commission (UGC) (NTA Ref. No. 191620050801) and National Renewable Energy Fellowship by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (NREF-MNRE), Govt. of India (grant code: 342–12/5/2019-HRD) respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Photovoltaic Metrology Section, Advanced Materials and Device Metrology Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Urvashi Punia, Premshila Kumari & Sanjay K. Srivastava

  2. Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India

    Urvashi Punia, Premshila Kumari & Sanjay K. Srivastava

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  1. Urvashi Punia
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Contributions

Urvashi Punia: Conceptualization, Simulation, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing—original draft. Premshila Kumari: Investigation, Formal analysis. Sanjay K. Srivastava: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Funding acquisition, Resources, Writing—review & editing.

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Correspondence to Sanjay K. Srivastava.

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Highlights

• Hybrid heterojunction solar cells (HSCs) based on an organic electron transport layer, phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and inorganic p-type silicon (p-Si) is promising for efficient and low cost photovoltaic (PV) devices.

• The concept lacks a thorough investigation, both theoretically and experimentally, on its potential.

• Detailed simulation study of PCBM/p-Si hybrid heterojunction solar cell using SCAPS-1D is reported for the first time.

• A detailed analysis of PV performance of PCBM/p-Si HSCs has been performed by exploring the effect of various controllable material parameters using SCAPS-1D in the basic device structure of ‘Ag/PCBM/p-Si/Au’.

• The solar cell design, ‘Ag/PCBM/p-Si/Au’ can achieve efficiency as high as 27.67% under the optimized conditions.

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Punia, U., Kumari, P. & Srivastava, S.K. Strategy to Achieve > 27.5% Efficient PCBM/p-Silicon Hybrid Heterojunction Solar Cell: Analysis of Photovoltaic Performances via SCAPS-1D. Silicon 16, 1987–2003 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02810-y

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