Simulation and analysis of solar cells based on InN/p-Si: influence on thickness, doping concentration, and temperature dependence

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The current research project intends to enhance solar cells' power and conversion efficiency based on InN/p-Si utilizing the PC1D simulator. A broad direct bandgap of Indium nitride (0.65 eV) makes it suitable for various applications. The InN-based solar cells show an excellent candidate for generating a higher efficiency device, incorporating well-established silicon substrate technology. The open-source PC1D is well-known software for simulating future solar devices without the need to fabricate real devices. The simulated area was adjusted to 10 cm². The Si substrate and InN layer thicknesses were designed to be 350 μm and 1×10^-3 μm, respectively. The n- and p-regions have doping concentrations of 1×10²¹ cm^-3 and 1×10¹⁷ cm^-3, respectively. This work analyses the influence of geometrical and technological aspects such as both n-p regions thickness, doping concentrations, and temperature dependency to enhance the conversion efficiency of these structures under the AM1.5G solar spectrum with intensity 0.1 W/cm². It has been demonstrated that the growth of high-quality InN layers and p-type doping persists to be problematic. It appears challenging to find the most suitable material substrate for InN solar. To produce compatible solar cells with simple structures and cost-effective, however, extremely thin layers of n-layer material are required due to the high absorption coefficient of type III-nitrides. The results illustrate that by adjusting the optimized parameter at room temperature to the lowest temperature (200 K), the solar efficiency may increase up from 19.18% to 27.67%.