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SCAPS-based simulation analysis of device parameters of ZnO-inverted polymer solar cells

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Abstract

This article reports the simulation of ZnO-based polymer solar cell (PSC) device parameters. The Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS-1D) software was used to analyze the cell parameters. Two different device configurations of PSCs were simulated with ZnO (an inverted device) and without ZnO (a reference device). The important device processing parameters such as working temperature (T), defect densities (Nt), series (Rs), and shunt (Rsh) resistances on cell performance were investigated. Comparing simulated and experimental results, a good correlation between PSCs was observed. The efficiencies of reference PSCs are 0.87% (simulated) and 0.85% (experimental) and for inverted PSCs are 2.33% (simulated) and 2.32% (experimental). In addition, the structure maintains an efficiency of 2.33–2.14% as the temperature goes up from 300 to 330 K. Comparing the efficiencies of reference and inverted devices, the role of the ZnO layer between the indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate and the device active layer (AL) was quite significant. The efficiencies of PSCs were well-matched, achieving a quite nice similarity between the simulated and experimental devices.

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Data availability

The SCAPS was used to Modeled and Simulate Polymer solar cells. Device performance parameters were analyzed using SCAPS and compare with the experimental results. The data related to the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.

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Acknowledgements

The Author acknowledges the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Islamabad, provided financial support through the National Research Program for Universities (NRPU-10603, 2017), Pakistan. Dr. Marc Burgelman of the University of Gent in Belgium provided the SCAPS simulation program.

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The authors declare that no funds and grant were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Physics, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    Ibrar Ahmad, Khizar Hayat, Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Imran & Said Karim Shah

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  1. Ibrar Ahmad
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  2. Khizar Hayat
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  3. Muhammad Ashraf
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  4. Muhammad Imran
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Contributions

All authors contributed to this work in modeling, simulation and device preparation. IA, MA and MI performed material preparation, data collection and analysis. The first draft of the manuscript was written by IA and KH and SKS, commented on the first version and finalized the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Said Karim Shah.

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Ahmad, I., Hayat, K., Ashraf, M. et al. SCAPS-based simulation analysis of device parameters of ZnO-inverted polymer solar cells. Opt Quant Electron 55, 345 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-023-04579-1

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