Numerical simulation and optimization of p-NiO/n-TiO2 solar cell system using SCAPS

Abstract

This study illustrates a numerical simulation and optimization of NiO/TiO2 metal oxide thin film for solar cell applications. Metal oxide-based solar cells have now become a new and low-cost alternative for sunlight harvesting and solar power generation. Different material properties like thickness, temperature, and density of states for conduction and valence band were varied using the SCAPS 1D template. The study examined various window layer material with varied range of 300 K–400 K temperature. Therefore, the thickness are also varied between 2 to 0.05 µm and the interface state 1018 to 1021 for absorber and buffer respectively. The objective of this study is to show the numerical annealing effect on the efficiency of nanostructured p-NiO/n-TiO2 heterojunction solar cells using Solar Cells Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS). As the p-NiO layer reduced at high thickness the electrons and holes have more time to recombine whereby the increase in thickness also presented more than 100% increase in fill factor (FF) with the efficiency that was varied from 0.03 to 0.05. The analyzed result indicates that the thickness increase in Jsc, FF, density, and efficiency is due to more electron holes pairs generated.