Complex Investigation of High Efficiency and Reliable Heterojunction Solar Cell Based on an Improved Cu 2 O Absorber Layer

Laurentiu Fara, Irinela Chilibon, Ørnulf Nordseth, Dan Craciunescu, Dan Savastru, Cristina Vasiliu, Laurentiu Baschir, Silvian Fara, Raj Kumar, Edouard Monakhov and James P. Connolly
Additional contact information
Laurentiu Fara: Department of Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Irinela Chilibon: National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics (INOE-2000), 077125 Bucharest, Romania
Ørnulf Nordseth: Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), P.O. Box 40, NO-2027 Kjeller, Norway
Dan Craciunescu: Department of Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Dan Savastru: National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics (INOE-2000), 077125 Bucharest, Romania
Cristina Vasiliu: National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics (INOE-2000), 077125 Bucharest, Romania
Laurentiu Baschir: National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics (INOE-2000), 077125 Bucharest, Romania
Silvian Fara: Department of Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Raj Kumar: Department of Physics/Center for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN), University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
Edouard Monakhov: Department of Physics/Center for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN), University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
James P. Connolly: GeePs (Group of electrical engineering—Paris), UMR CNRS 8507, CentraleSupélec, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, 11 rue Joliot-Curie, 91192 Plateau de Moulon, Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 18, 1-19

Abstract: This study is aimed at increasing the performance and reliability of silicon-based heterojunction solar cells with advanced methods. This is achieved by a numerical electro-optical modeling and reliability analysis for such solar cells correlated with experimental analysis of the Cu 2 O absorber layer. It yields the optimization of a silicon tandem heterojunction solar cell based on a ZnO/Cu 2 O subcell and a c-Si bottom subcell using electro-optical numerical modeling. The buffer layer affinity and mobility together with a low conduction band offset for the heterojunction are discussed, as well as spectral properties of the device model. Experimental research of N-doped Cu 2 O thin films was dedicated to two main activities: (1) fabrication of specific samples by DC magnetron sputtering and (2) detailed characterization of the analyzed samples. This last investigation was based on advanced techniques: morphological (scanning electron microscopy—SEM and atomic force microscopy—AFM), structural (X-ray diffraction—XRD), and optical (spectroscopic ellipsometry—SE and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy—FTIR). This approach qualified the heterojunction solar cell based on cuprous oxide with nitrogen as an attractive candidate for high-performance solar devices. A reliability analysis based on Weibull statistical distribution establishes the degradation degree and failure rate of the studied solar cells under stress and under standard conditions.

Keywords: silicon tandem heterojunction solar cell; N-doped Cu 2 O absorber layer; Al:ZnO (AZO); numerical electro-optical modeling; scanning electron microscopy (SEM); atomic force microscopy (AFM); X-ray diffraction (XRD); spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE); Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy; degradation degree; failure rate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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