Computational Analysis on The Influence of Heterojunction Geometries to Electrical Performance of Photovoltaic Cells

Abstract

The need to improve photovoltaic (PV) cell technology to enhance sustainability and efficiency has been underscored by the rising global demand for renewable energy. Because of their superior passivation quality and low-temperature fabrication, heterojunction (HJT) silicon PV cells are among the most promising options. However, the cells performance was limited due to recombination losses, suboptimal electric field distribution and structural inefficiencies. This study explores how HJT silicon PV cells can benefit from changes
in geometry and doping configuration – including planar, columnar and pyramid – and examines their impact through Silvaco TCAD simulations. The properties studied are electric field patterns, hole and electron concentration and the pattern of carrier recombination. The results show that the planar design with the N-type top layer clearly exhibits the highest efficiency of 16.5247%, due to the uniform electric field, electron mobility, and low recombination rate of the N-type layer. A pyramidal shape can provide higher light-trapping ability and achieve a significant current density. But it incurs structural losses, and the electric field distribution is nonuniform, resulting in a lower cell fill factor (FF) and efficiency. The columnar configuration possesses weaker carrier collection at the vertical side walls, while it has strong local electric fields at the base. Among the others, this configuration has the lowest cell efficiency. The results show the significance of geometric accuracy and electric-field control in enhancing the performance of HJT cells. The study also highlights the balance required between the electrical performance and optical enhancement. This work paves the way for further research into novel geometries and enhanced structural integration in order to further optimize the efficiency of HJT cells.