A Theoretical Survey on the Potential Performance of a Perovskite Solar Cell Based on an Ultrathin Organic-Inorganic Electron Transporting Layer

Abstract

An ultrathin perovskite solar cell with 29.33 % theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE) is designed for flexible applications. The perovskite layer is sandwiched between two multijunctions, i.e. poly(3- hexylthiophene) (P3HT), nickel oxide (NiO), and copper (I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) as the hole transporting element, from one side, and zinc oxide (ZnO), tin (IV) oxide (SnO2) and phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the electron transporting compartment, from the other side. This study uses a professional software package to accurately simulate a series of highly efficient perovskite-based solar cell structures that use both organic and inorganic materials. Calculations are simultaneously run with SCAPS (version. 3.3.07). The materials system for the electron transporting multijunction, bandgap of the perovskite layer, defection density, temperature of operating conditions, and concentration of charge doping are manipulated as the tuning parameters. An excellent fill factor (84.76 %), a potentially low entire thickness (⁓ 1 µm), and compatible nature for both organic and inorganic materials make this layout auspicious for a feasible and versatile high efficiency, but low-cost electronic devices. The constituent materials are selected based on the thickness and photoconversion efficiency. In order to assess the further potentials of materials system, we replaced CuSCN with PTAA (Polytriarylamine) and observed an increase in the theoretical efficiency, and we investigated the effect of varying the doping concentration in the PTAA layer. To simulate this structure, both the electrical and physical properties of the materials are considered, and the results are compared with those of previous works. These results should be of significant interest to experimentalists in the field.