An investigation of the influence of various factors on the electrical performance of a (CuGaS2) -based thin-film solar cell using SCAPS-1D software

Abstract

Applying photovoltaics to harvest solar energy is in high demand at the global level. In this study, the modeling tool SCAPS-1D is used to design the cell structure with indium sulfide as a buffer layer, Copper gallium sulfide (CuGaS2) semiconductor compound as the absorber layer, and un-doped and n-doped zinc oxide as the window layer. This study aims to establish an optimal absorber and buffer layer thickness for CuGaS2 thin film solar cells. Among three-generation solar cells, copper gallium sulfide-based photovoltaic cells have grown wider. Indium sulphide is a novel film absorber with good physical characteristics and a band gap energy of 2.4 eV. CuGaS2 thin film performance with various buffer and absorber layer thicknesses for solar cell applications is numerically modeled. This work obtained a thickness range of 50–125 nm and 1000–5000 nm for the buffer and absorber layers, respectively. It also founds an ideal PV system with an efficiency of 10.09% (JSC = 5.30 mA/cm2, VOC = 2.88 V and FF = 67.09%). These modeling results will provide some essential guidelines for making more effective CuGaS2 based solar cells.