Numerical investigation on the impact of Hole Transporting Layer (HTL) using SCAPS-1D on tin-based perovskite solar cells

Abstract

Hole transport layers (HTL) are the primary elements of Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which can lower losses and nonradiative recombination. It serves a significant function in device performance due to its numerous advantages such as good conductivity, solution processability and suitable energy level that matches the perovskite absorber layer. Therefore, finding more cost-effective and stable HTL for perovskite-based solar cells is essential. The primary goal of this work is to investigate the best alternative HTL in methyl ammonium tin iodide perovskite solar cells and to investigate the influence of different HTL (such as CuI, Cu2O and SpiroOMeTAD) on the performance of planar structure; FTO/TiO2/CH3NH3SnI3/HTL/Au using Solar capacitance simulator software. To achieve optimal performance, some parameters such as the absorber layer thickness, donor concentration as well as operating temperature were varied and examined. The simulated result demonstrates that the absorber layer's thickness has a significant impact on the device's performance, as thickness increases, the Voc dropped; maximum thickness was reached at 1000nm. In addition, the simulated result suggests that the cell's PCE declined with temperature. However high donor concentration deteriorated the device’s performance. Among the three selected HTLs, the best performance was obtained with Cu2O with Voc, Jsc, FF, and PCE of 0.963 V, 32.999 mA/cm²,
80.20%, and 25.48%, respectively. This numerical study shows the potential of producing efficient, cost-effective and stable tin-based perovskite solar cells using inorganic HTL.