Simulation of CdTe solar cell

[A-Udeh]

Hey everyone,

I'm Anayo, a master's student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. My research focuses on optimizing the efficiency of CdTe-based thin film solar cells. We're experimenting with varying the compositions of elements in the absorber layer (Cd, Se, and Te) and adjusting the thicknesses of other layers to observe their effects on the electrical parameters.

We've tried using SCAPS-1D, but we were only able to change the thicknesses of the different layers. Our next step is to conduct a DFT study of the absorber layer with the desired composition of Cd, Se, and Te. We'll then use the property values obtained to simulate the solar cell performance on SCAPS 1D. However, my professor wants us to simulate it first to determine its feasibility before proceeding with the synthesis of CdTe.

Can I use Solcore to do that?

[phoebe-p]

Yes, you can add custom materials in Solcore and change their properties (i.e. refractive index, absorption coefficient, diffusion length, lifetimes etc.). People have previously used it to investigate new thin-film materials in similar ways. If you have specific questions about features you will need to use, please first check the documentation to see if there is an answer there or open an issue (we don’t really use the Discussions feature).