Improved performance of CdTe thin-film solar cell through key parameters

Authors

• Loumafak Hafaifa ^{1, 2}
• Mostefa Maache * ^{1, 3}
• Mohamed Wahid Bouabdelli ⁴

1. Department of Physics, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Computer Science, Ziane Achour University, Djelfa, Algeria
2. Physico Chemistry of Materials and Environment Laboratory, Ziane Achour University of Djelfa, Djelfa, Algeria
3. Physical Laboratory of Thin Films and Applications, Mohamed Khider University, Biskra, Algeria
4. Faculty of Science and Technology, Djelfa University, Djelfa, Algeria

Abstract

We investigated CdTe thin-film solar cell configuration using Silvaco Atlas. We simulated a fundamental CdTe cell at an ambient temperature of 298 K. Subsequently, we compared our simulation results to both theoretical and experimental data. The outputs demonstrated a compelling concurrence with the performance of the experimental CdTe solar cell, renowned for its record-breaking efficiency, thereby validating our model. To surpass the current efficiency record of 22.4% for the CdTe cell, we undertook a rigorous optimization process, focusing on two important parameters: the thicknesses of the different layers and the doping densities. Following optimization, the optimal parameters determined were as follows: 20 nm – 10¹⁹ cm^-3 for the ZnO and CdS layers, and 3000 nm – 5×10¹⁴ cm^-3 for the CdTe layer. These optimized parameters resulted in a substantial enhancement, increasing the efficiency from 22.15% to 27.8%. The majority of prior research studies have assessed CdTe solar cells at standard room temperature. However, operating temperatures in real-world applications can vary significantly. We expanded our research to include temperature optimization and its impact on CdTe cell performance. Our findings revealed that performance significantly improves with reduced temperature. At a temperature of 250 K, the CdTe cell achieved an efficiency of 32.36%.

Keywords

• Efficiency
• Solar cell
• CdTe Thin films
• Thicknesses
• Doping density
• Silvaco Atlas