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Simulating the Role of TCO Materials, their Surface Texturing and Band Gap of Amorphous Silicon Layers on the Efficiency of Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Solar Cells

IR@NPL: CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi

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Title Simulating the Role of TCO Materials, their Surface Texturing and Band Gap of Amorphous Silicon Layers on the Efficiency of Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Solar Cells
 
Creator Sharma, Mansi
Chaudhary, Deepika
Dwivedi, Neeraj
Sudhakar, S.
Kumar, Sushil
 
Subject General Science
Multidisciplinary
Materials Science
Physical Chemistry/Chemical Physics
 
Description In this work, through modeling we propose how the choice of the TCO material, its texturing and optimization of band gap of a-Si:H layers help to increase the efficiency of a-Si:H solar cells. While selecting plane and textured indium tin oxide (ITO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) as TCOs, the solar cell parameters and performance are examined as a function of band gap of different a-Si:H layers. The optimum band gap values of 2.1 eV, 1.9 eV and 1.85 eV are obtained for p, i and n-layers of a-Si:H with maximum efficiencies of similar to 15.5 % and 17.7 % using plane ITO and ZnO contacts respectively. Interestingly, the conversion efficiency is further increased to similar to 16.3 % and 18.6 % when textured ITO and textured ZnO are used as TCOs. Moreover the higher efficiencies with ZnO-based contact than ITO-based contact can be explained due to slightly higher drift velocity of holes nearer to the junction and little improved optical properties which may also attributes to the enhanced trapping of the light. These results are very encouraging and may help in developing a-Si:H based solar cell technology for thin films.
 
Publisher Springer Verlag
 
Date 2017-01
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://npl.csircentral.net/2848/1/Simulating%20the%20Role%20of%20TCO%20Materials%2C%20their%20Surface%20Texturing%20and%20Band%20Gap%20of%20Amorphous%20Silicon%20Layers%20on%20the%20Efficiency%20of%20Amorphous%20Silicon%20Thin%20Film%20Solar%20Cells.pdf
Sharma, Mansi and Chaudhary, Deepika and Dwivedi, Neeraj and Sudhakar, S. and Kumar, Sushil (2017) Simulating the Role of TCO Materials, their Surface Texturing and Band Gap of Amorphous Silicon Layers on the Efficiency of Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Solar Cells. Silicon , 9 (1). pp. 59-68. ISSN 1876-990X
 
Relation http://npl.csircentral.net/2848/