Inherent internal p-n junction assisted single layered n-type iron pyrite solar cell

Abstract

The high absorption coefficient and low cost with plentiful availability make the material iron pyrite (FeS _2 ) promising for solar cell applications. However, their efficiency in the literature is still around 2.8% due to their low V _OC . The presence of an acceptor-type surface inversion layer (SIL) with a significant band gap (0.56 eV–0.72 eV) is the main cause of this low performance. A detailed study considering these two parameters is not available in the literature to relate device performance to underlying phenomena. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the band gap and doping variation of SIL was performed in this article to explore the efficiency potential of FeS _2 solar cells. The results showed that SIL with a low bandgap is highly undesirable, and it is recommended to fabricate SIL with a higher band gap of 0.72 eV and a doping of 10 ^19 cm ^−3 in the laboratory to achieve a conversion efficiency of 5.36%. It was also confirmed that FeS _2 -based solar cells without a SIL layer have the potential to deliver 10.3% conversion efficiency. The results reported in this study will pave the way for underestimating the workings of iron pyrite solar cells and developing highly efficient FeS _2 solar cells.

Keywords

• solar cell
• SCAPS-1D
• simulation
• FeS2
• iron pyrite
• thin film