Device simulation of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell with antireflective coating

• Published in: Optical and quantum electronics 2023-03, Vol.55 (3), Article 197
• Main Authors: Gopal Krishna, B., Ghosh, Dhriti Sundar, Tiwari, Sanjay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antireflection coatings; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Computer Communication Networks; Efficiency; Electrical Engineering; Electron transport; Energy conversion efficiency; Infrared reflection; Lasers; Mathematical models; Optical design; Optical Devices; Optics; Perovskites; Photonics; Photons; Photovoltaic cells; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Reflectance; Silicon; Silicon nitride; Solar cells; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 0306-8919; 1572-817X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11082-022-04470-5

Optical design, photon management, and energy conversion efficiency are investigated through numerical simulation of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell using the single-diode model. A strong near-infrared reflectance of roughly 60% is present in the perovskite-based top cell. ZnO and Si 3 N 4 anti-reflection coating layers are placed on the surface of the perovskite layer and silicon sub-cell of the tandem solar cell respectively for photon management and minimizing the near-infrared reflectance loss. ZnO will act as an electron transport layer as well as an anti-reflection coating layer. The ZnO layer will minimize the near-infrared reflectance loss by the top cell in the device structure and allow the maximum transmittance of near-infrared photon energy to the silicon sub-cell. Intermediate anti-reflection Si 3 N 4 layer assists in the maximum localization of the transmitted near-infrared photon energy in the silicon sub-cell. The efficiency of over 32% is achieved by optimizing the parameters of different materials such as perovskite, silicon, and anti-reflection coating layer in the tandem solar cell. The innovative idea of using electron transport material ZnO as an anti-reflection coating layer in the perovskite-based top cell can minimize the reflection loss by nearly 20%. The combination of ZnO and Si 3 N 4 anti-reflection coating layers improved the conversion efficiency of the tandem cell by 1%. This result paves the way to realize highly efficient tandem solar cells through photon management.