Performance evaluation of metal oxide transport and absorber layers for all oxide heterostructure solar cells with ∼26% efficiency

Abstract

The ambient sensitivity and toxicity of organic-inorganic perovskite light harvesters limit the industrialization of perovskite solar cell technology. Thus, it is essential to find potential non-toxic light harvesters which can deliver high efficiency with long-term stability. This study reports a highly stable and non-toxic kusachiite CuBi2O4 (CBO) as an excellent light harvester for thin-film photovoltaics. All oxide heterostructure solar cells (AOHSC) of p-type CBO light absorber and n-type metal oxides (MOs), namely, WO3, SnO2, ZnO, and TiO2, are engineered, compared, and optimized using 1D solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS 1D). The effect of thickness, charge carrier density, and defect density of various MOs and CBO light absorber are varied, and device performance is comprehensively analyzed. The impact of operating temperature and the work function of rear metal contact on the device performance of CBO-based solar cells is also assessed for real-time application. At the high acceptor carrier density of CBO absorber, the AOHSCs show excellent power conversion efficiency of 26.18 %, 25.9 3%, 26.13 %, and 26.03 % for WO3, SnO2, ZnO, and TiO2 transport layers, respectively. © 2023 The Physical Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan)