Performance Evaluation of Ag/WO₃/CuO/Si Heterojunction Solar Cell: The Effect of Window Layer Thickness

This research study focused on providing a solution to the problem of efficiency in the solar cell using window layer thickness. A novel Ag/WO₃/CuO/Si heterojunction solar cell geometry as a function of WO₃ window layer thickness via cost-effective hydrothermal and spin coating approaches has been demonstrated. The structural, morphological, and optical characteristics were systematically studied, indicating a direct correlation with the fabricated solace cells’ efficiency. In detail, a decrease in the WO₃ layer thickness from 150 to 50 nm resulted in the average transmission increment from 58 to 75%; this, in turn, allowed higher power conversion efficiency enhancement from 0.063 to 1.387%. Specifically, short circuit currents of 0.307 and 6.206 mA/cm² and open circuit voltages of 0.259 and 0.779 V were attained for the aforementioned layers’ thickness, respectively.