Design and Modeling of CdGa2Te4 and ZnGa2Te4 Chalcogenide Compound-Based Photovoltaic Devices: A DFT Study along with SCAPS-1D Simulation
Abstract
The electronic and optical properties of CdGa2Te4 and ZnGa2Te4 were studied using first-principles DFT calculations. Band gaps were calculated using the GGA-PBESol functional. Both materials show promise for photovoltaic applications because of their large, near-unity absorption efficiencies (104 cm-1) in the visible region. They exhibit low exciton binding energies (18.85-26.81 meV), large Bohr radii (23-34.3 Angstrom), and moderate exciton temperatures (218-311 K), which are favorable for photovoltaic applications. Their performance as solar cells was simulated using the SCAPS-1D tool for thin-film devices with Pt/CdS/CdGa2Te4/Cu2O/Ti and Pt/CdS/ZnGa2Te4/Cu2O/Ti structures. We investigated the effects of layer thickness, donor and acceptor concentrations (shallow donors/acceptors), and defect density on device performance. The ideal absorber thickness for XGa2Te4 (X = Cd, Zn) was found to be 1000-1800 nm, and the CdS buffer layer around 100 nm. To obtain an efficiency above 20%, the defect density in the CdGa2Te4 and ZnGa2Te4 absorber layers should be kept below 1.772 x 1013 cm-3. The best simulations show efficiencies of 18.46% and 17.35% for CdGa2Te4- and ZnGa2Te4-based solar cells, respectively.
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