Optimizing solar cell and module design with SnO<sub>2</sub>-ETL and organometal-halide perovskite absorber: SCAPS-1D and PVSyst analysis

The increasing demand for global energy necessitates the exploration of renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, and hydrothermal energy. Solar energy is particularly advantageous because of its abundance and year-round availability. Therefore, an investigation is being carried out to analyze the optical and electrical properties of the n-i-p structure of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The electron transport layer (ETL) of choice, TiO₂, has been widely utilized, with the highest efficiency achieved by a TiO₂-based perovskite solar cell is 24.66%. However, TiO₂ as an ETL has some drawbacks such as degradation, low carrier mobility, reduced band alignment at the perovskite/TiO₂ interface, and high-temperature processing, leading to a compromise in device stability. To overcome these issues, this study employs SnO₂-based ETL material in tin-based perovskite solar cells to improve both the stability and output efficiency of the photovoltaic cell. The influence of the thicknesses of functional layers on device performance is analyzed using the SCAPS-1D package. Additionally, the defect density at the ETL/perovskite interface is examined. Since temperature is a crucial parameter affecting device performance, this research includes temperature optimization. The proposed device configuration, ITO/SnO₂/CH₃NH₃SnI₃/GaAs/Mo is subjected to quantum efficiency (QE) measurements to evaluate its spectral response. Finally, the measurement of generation-recombination with respect to surface depth provides a better understanding of solar cell output. The use of novel proposed solar cell configuration ITO/SnO₂/CH₃NH₃SnI₃/GaAs/Mo in PVSyst simulation software for a solar module comprising 60 cells in series is capable of generating 490.9 watts of power in response to standard solar irradiation of 1000 w/m². This study may be used as a benchmark to explore the ever-growing future energy demands.