Simulation of photovoltaic performance in a thin film, hybrid heterojunction incorporating a nanoscale semiconductor spectral sensitizer

The impact of CdTe nanoscale semiconductor spectral sensitizers on the energy conversion efficiency of a poly-(hexylthiophene) (P3HT)-ZnO thin film (TF) photovoltaic (PV) cell was examined utilizing a one-dimensional computational model (Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator) (SCAPS). Output characteristics (quantum efficiency spectra, current-voltage characteristics) of TF PV cells containing the CdTe phase embedded within the n-type (ZnO) region of the junction were investigated with the modeling parameters derived from previous experimental studies of the component materials. The study focused on the influence of the spatial position of the CdTe region, relative to the P3HT-ZnO heterojunction, on the spectral characteristics of the energy conversion efficiency of the device. The contribution of this sensitizer phase to energy conversion was confirmed and the magnitude of the effect was found to increase as the semiconductor nanophase region was moved to within 20 nm of the heterojunction.

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