Optimizing MoTe₂ Photovoltaic: A Simulation-Based Exploration of Sb₂S₃ HTL for Efficiency Enhancement

This work investigates the behavior of MoTe2 solar structure using the SCAPS-1D program and a Sb2S3 HTL material. The choice of MoTe2 is motivated by its high optical absorption, efficiency, affordability, and stable operation. The study compares a novel solar cell structure (FTO/CdS/MoTe<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>/Sb<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>S<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</inf>) with a conventional baseline structure (FTO/CdS/MoTe<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>). The new structure achieves notable advancements by examining various parameters, including HTL layer thickness, temperature, doping density, and surface recombination velocity. The device exhibits an efficiency of 40.33%, a voltage at an open circuit of 1.13 V, a current at short circuit of 40.78 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 87.63%. The baseline structure features a Voc measuring 0.95 V, FF at 81.09%, J<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">sc</inf> at 38.15 mA/cm<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>, and efficiency at 29.35%. The integration of the Sb<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>S<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</inf> layer effectively lessens carrier recombination losses, indicating a promising pathway for achieving enhanced efficiency, affordable MoTe<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>-based solar cells with Sb<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>S<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</inf> as the HTL.