Optimization of baseline parameters and numerical simulation for Cu(In, Ga)Se2 solar cell

Abstract

For the purpose of designing a highly efficient Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cell, an understanding of the structural, optical and electronic properties of each constituent layers in the heterojunction cell is very crucial. Important parameters such as thickness, doping concentration, electron affinity and band gap energy are identified to govern the electrical characterization of the cell. In this paper, an extensive study on the effects of these parameters on the short circuit current density (Jsc) and open circuit voltage (Voc) known as J-V characteristics is performed. Optimized values of each parameter obtained from different numerical simulations are summarized and presented. An optimal CIGS solar cell model is later identified and simulated using Silvaco ATLAS software. Performance analysis is carried out on the completed cell under standard irradiance with air mass 1.5 (AM1.5) spectrums. This proposed model provides simulated conversion efficiency of 23.58% and fill factor (FF) of 77.89% which is in agreement with experimental efficiencies found in literature. © 2018 IEEE.