Investigating the Impact of Temperature and Interlayer Defects on the Efficiency of Mo/ZnTe/ZnSe/SnO₂ Heterojunction Thin Film Solar Cells: a SCAPS-1D Simulation Study

This study investigates the effect of using SnO₂ as a window layer in a heterojunction Mo/ZnTe/ZnSe/SnO₂ thin film-solar cell, which, when compared to other absorber layer materials, has the potential to be used in solar photovoltaic applications due to its low cost, non-toxic nature, and ease of availability. The research has aimed to compare the impact of SnO₂ with ZnO, which has been previously used as a window layer. Numerical modeling using the Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS-1D) has been conducted to analyze the effect of temperature and defects in the thin-film layers on the overall performance of the solar cell. Efficiency parameters such as short-circuit current density JSC, open-circuit voltage VOC, fill factor FF, and efficiency η, have been found to be influenced by temperature, and the effect of defects between the layers was analyzed. The optimal operating temperature for the solar cell with SnO₂ as a window layer has been found to be 375 K, which has not required cooling to maintain cell efficiency, unlike the optimal operating temperature of 300 K for the solar cell with ZnO as a window layer. The simulation results have showed that using SnO₂ as a window layer is advantageous due to the higher optimal operating temperature and the absence of the need for cooling to maintain cell efficiency. The study highlights the significance of quality control during fabrication in order to minimize defects and enhance the efficiency of the solar cell.