Publication

Abstract : We propose an n-ZnO/p-SnO x heterojunction solar cell as a novel pathway to realize all-oxide photovoltaics that offer attractive features such as stability, cost-effectiveness, and nontoxicity. TCAD device simulator was used to investigate the performance of n-ZnO/p-SnO x thin-film solar cell using inputs on material parameters of SnO x obtained experimentally. In this study, we considered the effects of SnO x parameters, namely, bandgap and electron affinity on the performance of solar cell. Electrical transport models applied in modeling include the effects of interfacial recombination, tunneling, band discontinuity, and minority carrier lifetime. Our simulation results show that a maximum power conversion efficiency of ~15.5% can be obtained in a window of an optimum combination of bandgap and electron affinity of SnO x layer. Further enhancement in efficiency is achievable by improving the minority carrier lifetime.