TITLE:
Modeling and Simulation of an Organic Photovoltaic Cell: ITO/MoO3/CARAPA/PCBM/Alq3/Al with SCAPS
AUTHORS:
Donafologo Soro, Adama Sylla, Aboudramane Gbané, Bamba Abdoulaye Franck, Julia Mari Guaita, Amal Bouich, Siaka Toure, Bernabé Marí
KEYWORDS:
Renewable Energie, Solar Cells, Simulation, Organic Materials, Performance
JOURNAL NAME:
Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Material Science,
Vol.14 No.3,
August
21,
2024
ABSTRACT: Renewable energies are of major interest due to their inexhaustible and clean nature, with minimal impact on the environment. Numerous technological pathways exist in this field, each distinguished by the materials used and their implementation principles. However, the cost-efficiency ratio remains a significant challenge for researchers. Currently, organic materials are gaining popularity due to their relatively low cost. However, their performance, particularly in terms of conversion efficiency, still requires improvements. This study focuses on optimizing the organic photovoltaic cell ITO/MoO3/CARAPA/PCBM/Alq3/Al using SCAPS. Several parameters were considered, such as layer thickness, recombination center density, and doping, to improve the cell’s performance. The optimal parameters obtained include an efficiency of 3%, a fill factor of 81.67%, an open-circuit voltage of 1610 mV, and a short-circuit current of 2.28 mA/cm2. The study also revealed that doping the phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) layer has a significant impact on efficiency and short-circuit current, improving these parameters up to a certain point before causing degradation due to increased recombination. Furthermore, high doping of the tri (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) layer improves performance up to a critical threshold, after which degradation is also observed. In contrast, doping the molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) layer does not have a notable impact on cell performance. Regarding the thickness of the active Carapaprocera (CARAPA) and PCBM layers, non-optimal values lead to a decrease in performance. Similarly, an optimal thickness of the Alq3 layer significantly improves efficiency. These results highlight the importance of parameter optimization to maximize the efficiency of organic solar cells.