Numerical analysis of ternary chalcopyrite-type ZnGeAs₂-based photosensor and solar cell

This article offers theoretical insights into the structure of a ternary chalcopyrite-type solar cell and photosensor (SC-PS) based on ZnGeAs 2 (ZGA). A theoretical computation of the ZGA SC-PS unit has been conducted using SCAPS-1D software. Zinc selenide (ZnSe) serves as the emitter layer while germanium sulfide (GeS) is employed as the back surface field (BSF) layer. To determine the performance parameters of the ZGA SC-PS structure, the physical properties of the different layers have been optimized. In the absence of the GeS layer, the single n-ZnSe/p + -ZnGeAs 2 heterojunction yielded the following SC-PS performance parameters: open-circuit voltage (V OC ) of 0.78 V, short-circuit current density (J SC ) of 39.73 mA/cm 2 , fill factor (FF) of 84.61%, power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.25%, responsivity, R = 0.7 A/W, and detectivity, D* = 6.53 × 10 14 Jones. When the BSF layer is included, the ZGA double heterojunction showed a significant improvement in SC-PS output: V OC = 1.05 V, J SC = 40.02 mA/cm 2 , FF = 81.14%, PCE = 34.22%, R = 0.71 A/W, and D* = 1.25 × 10 17 Jones. These outcomes of the ZGA SC-PS device and its high-performance parameters suggest its potential applications in the future, highlighting the importance of fabricating the ZGA SC-PS device.