Numerical analysis of a highly efficient CdTe/CdS:O solar cell with BSF

Abstract: The polycrystalline cadmium telluride is known as one of the leading photovoltaic materials due to its superior optoelectronic properties and possibilities of cost effective fabrication. It has a direct bandgap of 1.45 eV and absorption coefficient over 5x105 /cm. It was investigated the possibility of using double buffer layer and BSF to increase the cell performance by numerical analysis with SCAPS-1D simulator. The CdTe absorption layer was reduced to 1 μm only with ZnTe as BSF layer. The Viability of using double buffer layer of ZnO and Zn2SnO4 was examined and it showed maximum conversion efficiency of 26.34% (Voc= 1.07 V, Jsc=28.7771 mA/cm2, FF= 85.04%). The proposed cell structure is (Glass/SnO2/Zn2SnO4/ ZnO/ CdS:O/ CdTe /ZnTe /Ni).The thermal stability was investigated and shown temperature coefficient of -0.268 %/°C which clearly indicate the better stability of the proposed cell.

Keywords: Solar cell, CdTe, CdS:O, ZnO, Zn2SnO4, BSF, SCAPS-1D, Efficiency, Stability.