Simulation study of CIGS solar cells with PbS as BSF

The research aimed to optimize traditional CIGS thin-film solar cells by adding a back surface layer (BSF) of PbS material through SCAPS-1D to enhance the structure of double-buffered CIGS solar cells (Al/i-ZnO/ZnS/CdS/CIGS/PbS/Mo). The study investigated the impact of absorber layer thickness and bandgap, as well as the back surface field (BSF) layer thickness, on the solar cell performance for devices with and without BSF .The presence of the BSF layer significantly influenced the performance parameters of the devices, including short-circuit current (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE). The addition of the BSF (PbS) layer resulted in a 29.07% increase in conversion efficiency compared to the originally optimized cell, representing a 2.05% improvement (from 25.91%). These findings are of great help for the future performance and cost-effectiveness of solar.