Enhancing the Perovskite Solar Cell Performance Through a Cu2O Buffer Layer at Perovskite/Hole Transport Layer Interface: A Numerical Study

This research study focuses on a numerical study of the impact of a Copper(I) Oxide buffer layer at the interface between the perovskite layer and the hole transport layer. The influence of incorporating a Cu2O layer on device performance was examined using solar cell capacitance simulator software (SCAPS-1D). The findings indicated that the inclusion of $\mathrm{a}\mathrm{Cu}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ layer effectively enhances hole extraction through defect passivation, resulting in reduced charge recombination and ion migration. Consequently, the performance of the perovskite solar cell with the Cu2O buffer layer exhibited significant improvements compared to the reference solar cell architecture. Before incorporating the Cu2O buffer layer, the power conversion efficiency ($PCE$) was reported as $ 22.12\%$ while it was reported as $\mathbf{2 4 . 4 8}\%$ after the introduction of the buffer layer. These findings demonstrated the promising potential of incorporating a Cu2O buffer layer to enhance the performance of experimental perovskite solar cells.

I. Introduction

Over the past few years, there has been a notable surge of interest among researchers in organometal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to their optical and electronic characteristics, impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE), and cost-effectiveness in manufacturing [1].