Investigating the effect of non-ideal conditions on the performance of a planar CH3 NH 3 PbI3 -based perovskite solar cell through SCAPS-1D simulation

AuthorsSeyyed Reza Hosseini, Mahsa Bahramgour, Pariya Yardani Sefidi, Alireza Tabatabaei Mashayekh, Asghar Moradi, Nagihan Delibas, Mir Ghasem Hosseini, Aligholi Niaei
JournalHeliyon
Paper TypeFull Paper
Published At2022/11/1
Journal GradeISI
Journal TypeElectronic
Journal CountryIran, Islamic Republic Of

Abstract

The difference between the simulation and experimental results of solar cells has always been challenging for
researchers. Some simplifying assumptions in the simulation programs are the most common reason for this
content. However, in some simulation programs, utilizing some nonidealities, the simulated solar cell can
approach real conditions. In the present study, we attempted to simulate the conventional FTO/TiO 2 /
CH 3NH 3PbI 3/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au perovskite solar cell by considering resistance paths, reflection in front contact
(FTO), and recombination (radiative and Auger) through SCAPS-1D software. For this, the effect of each of these
nonidealities was investigated step by step. The efficiency results of the studied solar cell represented significant
differences between the efficiency of the device before and after the application of these conditions that was from
19.26% to 8.40%. This significant decrement is mainly due to the reflection and radiative recombination. Besides,
to optimize each of the active layers' essential properties, the effect of mentioned parameters, including thickness
and doping density, was investigated in terms of efficiency and recombination plots. The novelty of this research
was in employing the non-ideal conditions in the simulation phase and approximating them to the reported
experimental works' outcomes. Moreover, utilizing the recombination plots helped a lot in choosing the optimum
layer property, e.g., doping density selection. Finally, after optimizing all the properties mentioned above, the
efficiency was enhanced by about 4% and reached PCE ¼ 12.83%. The general results represent that despite the
significant reduction in the cell performance, the simulated cell is closer to the experimental conditions and offers
a better model of a solar cell.

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