Research Article: Simulation–Based Optimization of Graphene Oxide Interfacial Layers in Heterojunction Germanium Solar Cells Using PC1D

Research article:

Cite this article:

Shah, D. K. Shah, Naim, H., Bouadi, A., Umar, A., Baskoutas, S.  and Akhtar, M. S. 2025.  Simulation–Based Optimization of Graphene Oxide Interfacial Layers in Heterojunction Germanium Solar Cells Using PC1D. MatSci Express 2(2), pp. 181-191; https://doi.org/10.69626/mse.2025.0181

Simulation–Based Optimization of Graphene Oxide Interfacial Layers in Heterojunction Germanium Solar Cells Using PC1D

Abstract:

Heterojunction-based solar cells employing germanium (Ge) as the absorber material have gained considerable attention due to their promising optoelectronic properties, high efficiency potential, and compatibility with cost-effective fabrication techniques. However, critical challenges such as interfacial recombination losses and optical inefficiencies continue to limit their performance. This study utilizes PC1D simulations to systematically investigate the role of an optimized graphene oxide (GO) interfacial layer in improving the photovoltaic performance of Ge-based heterojunction solar cells. The incorporation of GO and zinc oxide (ZnO) as interfacial and antireflection layers was applied to analyze their impact on key photovoltaic parameters, including Voc, Jsc, FF, and overall PCE. This study demonstrates that the integration of an efficient GO interfacial layer significantly reduces recombination losses at the heterojunction interface while enhancing charge carrier extraction. Furthermore, ZnO as an antireflective coating (ARC) in Ge-based heterojunction minimizes optical losses, leading to improved light absorption and current generation. The optimized Ge-based heterojunction device with GO/ZnO layer attains the highest PCE of 17.4% with Isc=0.0495A, Voc=0.4208V, Pmax=0.0174W and FF=83.53%. As compared to conventional Ge-based devices, a notable enhancement in device efficiency is recorded via the parametric optimization of interfacial layer thickness, ZnO ARC layer thickness and doping concentrations. The findings highlight the critical influence of interfacial engineering in maximizing the performance of Ge-based photovoltaic devices. This study provides valuable insights for the design and fabrication of high-efficiency heterojunction solar cells, paving the way for their practical implementation in next-generation photovoltaic technologies.

Keywords:

Germanium solar cell, Interfacial layer optimization, Graphene oxide (GO), Zinc oxide (ZnO), Heterojunction photovoltaics, PC1D simulation. 

Fabrication of Double Antireflection Layer of SiO2/SiNx via Spin Coating and Brush Painting for Enhanced Performance of Silicon Solar Cells

 Title:

Fabrication of Double Antireflection Layer of SiO₂/SiN_x via Spin Coating and Brush Painting for Enhanced Performance of Silicon Solar Cells

Authors:

Jaeho Choi, Deb Kumar Shah, M. Shaheer Akhtar, Ahmad Umar, Hassan Fouad, and

In-Sung Jung

Abstract:

This research investigates the optical, structural, and photovoltaic attributes of a dual antireflection (AR) layer deposition on crystalline silicon (c–Si) solar cells using a second SiO₂ layer on SiN_x AR. The second SiO₂ AR layer on a SiN_x AR-based c–Si solar cell was fabricated utilizing both spin coating and brush painting techniques, resulting in a unique double (SiO₂/SiN_x ) AR layer. The initial SiN_x AR layer was deposited on the c–Si solar cell through plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), while the SiO₂ layer was subsequently applied using two different methods such as spin coating at 5000 rpm for 20 s and brush painting, separately, on Si solar cell. The double (SiO2/SiN_x ) AR layer on the Si wafer exhibited a substantial reduction in average reflectance, approximately 6.02% through spin coating and 5.17% through brush painting, within the wavelength range of 400–1000 nm when compared to a textured silicon wafer. The fabricated solar cell featuring the double (SiO₂/SiN_x ) AR layer, achieved a power conversion efficiency of 15.21% and 17.57% for spin coating and brush painting, respectively. The utilization of the double (SiO₂/SiN_x ) AR layer through brush painting on the Si solar cell not only provided low reflectance but also demonstrated excellent surface properties, making it a promising candidate for the cost-effective fabrication of high-performance Si solar cells.

Keywords:
Double Antireflection Layer, SiO2 Layer, Spin Coating, Brush Painting, Silicon Solar Cells,

Optoelectrical Properties.

Sci. Adv. Mater. 2024, Vol. 16, No. 1

1947-2935/2024/16/018/007

https://doi.org/10.1166/sam.2024.4623

https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asp/sam/2024/00000016/00000001/art00003;jsessionid=561lnemh35jt8.x-ic-live-01

 

Enhanced solar cell efficiency: copper zinc tin sulfide absorber thickness and defect density analysis

• K. C. Devendra, 
• Deb Kumar Shah, 
• Subhash Kumar, 
• Nawraj Bhattarai, 
• Dipak Raj Adhikari, 
• Khim B. Khattri, 
• M. Shaheer Akhtar, 
• Ahmad Umar, 
• Ahmed A. Ibrahim, 
• Mohsen A. M. Alhamami, 
• Sotirios Baskoutas & 
• O.-Bong Yang 

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics volume 34, Article number: 1699 (2023) 

Cite this article

Devendra, K.C., Shah, D.K., Kumar, S. et al. Enhanced solar cell efficiency: copper zinc tin sulfide absorber thickness and defect density analysis. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 1699 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11125-y

Abstract

Copper zinc tin sulfide solar cell (CZTS), Cu2ZnSnS4-based solar cells have shown promising conversion efficiency because of their ease of variation in configurations. In this work, the architecture of a ZnO–Al/i–ZnO/n–CdS/CZTS/Mo solar cell was optimized by using Silvaco Atlas simulation software. In this simulation study, the thickness and defect density of the CZTS layer has been varied to achieve the highest efficiency of 26.58%, with Isc = 36.64 A and Voc = 0.909 V at a defect density of 1.8 × 1012 cm−3. Increase in the layer thickness of CZTS improves the photon absorption and cell efficiency. This study has evidenced the impact of defect density on the absorber layer, including photo-generation rate, recombination rate, and solar cell efficiency. By optimizing the device parameters, it has achieved a fill factor of 79.74% under AM 1.5 illumination, demonstrating the potential for low-cost, highly efficient CZTS solar cells.

 

Numerical assessment of optoelectrical properties of ZnSe–CdSe solar cell-based with ZnO antireflection coating layer

Authors: 

D. Parajuli, 

Devendra KC, 

Khim B. Khattri, 

Dipak Raj Adhikari, 

Raid Anam Gaib & 

Deb Kumar Shah 

Scientific Reports volume 13, Article number: 12193 (2023) 

Cite this article

Parajuli, D., KC, D., Khattri, K.B. et al. Numerical assessment of optoelectrical properties of ZnSe–CdSe solar cell-based with ZnO antireflection coating layer. Sci Rep 13, 12193 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38906-z

Abstract:

In this work, a numerical assessment of the optoelectrical properties of the ZnO–ZnSe–CdSe heterojunction for a thin and cost-effective solar cell was made by using the PC1D simulation software. The photovoltaic (PV) properties have been optimized by varying thicknesses of the absorber layer of the p-CdSe layer, the window layer of n-ZnSe, and the antireflection coating (ARC) layer of ZnO, a transparent conductive oxide with enhanced light trapping, and wide bandgap engineering. There is a positive conduction band offset (CBO) of ΔEc = 0.25 eV and a negative valence band offset (VBO) of ΔEv = 1.2 − 2.16 =  − 0.96 eV. The positive CBO prevents the flow of electrons from the CdSe to the ZnSe layer. Further, the impact of doping concentration on the performance of solar cells has been analyzed. The simulation results reveal the increase in the efficiency of solar cells by adding an ARC. The rapid and sharp increase in the efficiency with the thickness of the window layer beyond 80 nm is interesting, unusual, and unconventional due to the combined effect of morphology and electronics on a macro-to-micro scale. The thin-film solar cell with the structure of ZnO/ZnSe/CdSe exhibited a high efficiency of 11.98% with short-circuit current (Isc) = 1.72 A, open-circuit voltage (Voc) = 0.81 V and fill factor (FF) = 90.8% at an optimized thickness of 2 μm absorber layer, 50 nm window layer, and 78 nm ARC layer. The EQE of solar cells has been observed at about 90% at a particular wavelength at 470 nm (visible light range). Around 12% of efficiency from such a thin-layered solar cell is highly applicable.

 

Influence of Efficient Thickness of Antireflection Coating Layer of HfO2 for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell

Authors: Deb Kumar Shah, Devendra KC, Ahmad Umar, Hassan Algadi, Mohammad Shaheer Akhtar, O-Bong Yang

Abstract:

Anti-reflective coating (ARC) layers on silicon (Si) solar cells usually play a vital role in the amount of light absorbed into the cell and protect the device from environmental degradation. This paper reports on the thickness optimization of hafnium oxide (HfO2) as an ARC layer for high-performance Si solar cells with PC1D simulation analysis. The deposition of the HfO2 ARC layer on Si cells was carried out with a low-cost sol-gel process followed by spin coating. The thickness of the ARC layer was controlled by varying the spinning speed. The HfO2 ARC with a thickness of 70 nm possessed the lowest average reflectance of 6.33% by covering wavelengths ranging from 400–1000 nm. The different thicknesses of HfO2 ARC layers were used as input parameters in a simulation study to explore the photovoltaic characteristics of Si solar cells. The simulation findings showed that, at 70 nm thickness, Si solar cells had an exceptional external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 98% and a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.15%. The thicknesses of HfO2 ARC considerably impacted the photovoltaic (PV) characteristics of Si solar cells, leading to achieving high-performance solar cells.

Keywords: silicon solar cell; HfO2; antireflection layer; PC1D simulation; photovoltaic characteristics

Inorganics 2022, 10(10), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics10100171 

Received: 5 September 2022 / Revised: 3 October 2022 / Accepted: 8 October 2022 / Published: 12 October 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2D Materials for Optoelectronic Devices)

MDPI and ACS Style

Shah, D.K.; KC, D.; Umar, A.; Algadi, H.; Akhtar, M.S.; Yang, O.-B. Influence of Efficient Thickness of Antireflection Coating Layer of HfO₂ for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell. Inorganics 2022, 10, 171. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics10100171

AMA Style

Shah DK, KC D, Umar A, Algadi H, Akhtar MS, Yang O-B. Influence of Efficient Thickness of Antireflection Coating Layer of HfO₂ for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell. Inorganics. 2022; 10(10):171. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics10100171

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shah, Deb Kumar, Devendra KC, Ahmad Umar, Hassan Algadi, Mohammad Shaheer Akhtar, and O-Bong Yang. 2022. "Influence of Efficient Thickness of Antireflection Coating Layer of HfO₂ for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell" Inorganics 10, no. 10: 171. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics10100171

 

Influence of Doping Concentration and Thickness of Regions on the Performance of InGaN Single Junction-Based Solar Cells: A Simulation Approach

by 

D. Parajuli

 ^1,†,

Deb Kumar Shah

 ^2,†,

Devendra KC

 ^3,†,

Subhash Kumar

 ⁴,

Mira Park

 ^5,* and

Bishweshwar Pant

 ^6,*

¹

Research Center for Applied Science & Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal

²

School of Semiconductor and Chemical Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea

³

Electrical Department, Gabriel Elektro AS, Myrveien 13, Lebesby Kommune, 9740 Lebesby, Norway

⁴

Department of Applied Chemistry, Delhi Technological University, Delhi 110042, India

⁵

Carbon Composite Energy Nanomaterials Research Center, Woosuk University, Wanju 55338, Korea

⁶

Woosuk Institute of Smart Convergence Life Care (WSCLC), Woosuk University, Wanju 55338, Korea

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Academic Editors: Qi Zhang, Wenhui Pei and Xudong Liu

Electrochem 2022, 3(3), 407-415; https://doi.org/10.3390/electrochem3030028 (registering DOI)

Received: 30 May 2022 / Revised: 20 July 2022 / Accepted: 25 July 2022 / Published: 28 July 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems)

Abstract

The impact of doping concentration and thickness of n-InGaN and p-InGaN regions on the power conversion efficiency of single junction-based InGaN solar cells was studied by the Silvaco ATLAS simulation software. The doping concentration 5 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ and 1 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ were optimized for n-InGaN and p-InGaN regions, respectively. The thickness of 300 nm was optimized for both n-InGaN and p-InGaN regions. The highest efficiency of 22.17% with J_sc = 37.68 mA/cm², V_oc = 0.729 V, and FF = 80.61% was achieved at optimized values of doping concentration and thickness of n-InGaN and p-InGaN regions of InGaN solar cells. The simulation study shows the relevance of the Silvaco ATLAS simulation tool, as well as the optimization of doping concentration and thickness of n- and p-InGaN regions for solar cells, which would make the development of high-performance InGaN solar cells low-cost and efficient. View Full-Text

Keywords: InGaN solar cell; doping concentration; thickness; single junction; efficiency; Silvaco ATLAS simulation

Determinantal study on the thickness of graphene oxide as ARC layer for silicon solar cells using: A simulation approach

 Determinantal study on the thickness of graphene oxide as ARC layer for silicon solar cells using: A simulation approach

Authors: Deb Kumar Shah, Devendra KC, Jaeho Choi, Seong Hwan Kang, M. Shaheer Akhtar, Chong Yeal Kim, O-Bong Yang

Citation:

Deb Kumar Shah, Devendra KC, Jaeho Choi, Seong Hwan Kang, M. Shaheer Akhtar, Chong Yeal Kim, O-Bong Yang, Determinantal study on the thickness of graphene oxide as ARC layer for silicon solar cells using: A simulation approach, Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing,147, 2022,106695, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2022.106695 

Abstract

This work describes the thickness optimization of graphene oxide (GO) as an antireflection coating (ARC) layer using a low-cost deposition process and validates the experimental results by a simulation study. The optimization of GO thickness was carried out by varying the speed of the spin coating and characterized by various characterization tools. It was found that GO ARC of thickness 80 nm was optimized having the lowest average reflectance of ∼7.69% which was lowered to other GO thicknesses. In a simulation study, the different GO thicknesses were selected as input parameters to explore the highest photovoltaic performances of Si solar cells. The Si solar cell with the GO thickness of 80 nm expressed the highest short-circuit current (Isc = 3.42 A), open-circuit voltage (Voc = 0.653 V), power conversion efficiency (18.78%), and FF (83.74%). The photovoltaic (PV) parameters such as Isc, Voc, FF, efficiency, and sheet resistance were characterized by varying the thickness of ARC layer at the junction depth range from 0.1 μm to 0.5 μm for Si solar cells. It was been found that the optimized thickness (80 nm) of the GO ARC layer exhibited high performance, photocurrent, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 95%, and high generation of charge carriers. This simulation on optimizing the GO thickness for Si solar cells would provide the utilization of low-cost GO ARC for the development of high-performance Si solar cells.

Keywords

Silicon solar cell

Antireflection layer

Graphene oxide

Junction depth

Thickness

Photovoltaic properties