The modelling of CuO/SnO2 heterojunction solar cell by SCAPS-1D Simulation

Abstract

In the photovoltaic (PV) industry, CuO materials have gathered a lot of attention lately because of their affordability, ease of manufacturing, and eco-friendliness. With a high absorption coefficient and band gap values ranging from 1.2 eV-2.6 eV, CuO is a p-type semiconductor and has polycrystalline nature. The power conversion efficiency of CuO solar cells is strongly impacted by the metal employed as back contacts. If the contact displays ohmic behavior, the PV performance of the solar cell can be enhanced, dependent on the size of the work functions of the metals and semiconductors. The simulation program is crucial for determining PV parameters and determining how back metal connections affect solar cell efficiency when using the layers that make up CuO solar cells. The program SCAPS-1D, which computes PV characteristics of solar cells using physical limitations including band gap, dielectric permittivity, structural layers’ electron affinity, thickness of sample, and work role of contacts, is one of the most popular in this field. This study produces a CuO thin-film-based solar cell by modeling it using SCAPS-1D. It also examines the impact of SnO2 back connections on the efficiency of solar cells developed for this research, interprets the data, and draws a more detailed conclusion. The optical properties of pure CuO sample annealed in air atmosphere around 1 h investigated using UV-Vis system.