Numerical Investigation of Optimal Buffer Layer and Performance Evaluation on CdTe Solar Cell

TL;DR

This paper conducts a numerical study on alternative buffer layers for CdTe solar cells, optimizing their thickness and analyzing defect effects to improve efficiency while replacing toxic materials.

Contribution

It introduces non-toxic buffer materials like ZnSe and ZnMgO for CdTe solar cells and optimizes their layer thicknesses for enhanced performance.

Findings

ZnSe and ZnMgO achieve over 20.7% efficiency

Optimized buffer and absorber layer thicknesses improve performance

Defect density impacts efficiency and temperature stability

Abstract

This study investigates the critical role of buffer layers in enhancing the efficiency of thin-film CdTe solar cells. We explore non-toxic buffer materials, specifically ZnSe, ZnMgO, 3C-SiC, and WS2, as potential replacements for the traditional Cd-based CdS buffer layer. Our analysis includes a thorough evaluation of the electrical and optical performance of these buffer materials in conjunction with CdTe absorbers. We optimize the thickness of both the buffer and absorber layers to achieve the best performance. Additionally, we examine the impact of defect density variations in the buffer materials and their corresponding temperature effects. Among the tested materials, ZnSe and ZnMgO demonstrate the highest potential, achieving power conversion efficiencies of 20.74% and 20.73%, respectively.