Photovoltaic Performance of Low-Cost Perovskite Solar Cells Using CuO and ZnO Charge Transport Layers: A Simulation Study

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发表日期：

2026年5月28日

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Mohamed Manoua,
Oussama AitMellal,
Mohamed Youssef Messous,
Ahmed Liba

摘要

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have received important interest as promising devices owing to their interesting conversion efficiency and low-cost manufacturing, which can be achieved using inorganic transport layers. In this study, MAPbI₃-based PSCs were investigated using ZnO and CuO as an electron transport layer (ETL) and hole transport layer (HTL), respectively. Two-dimensional numerical simulations were performed using the Atlas Silvaco tool. The effects of thickness as well as charge carrier density of ZnO and CuO layers on the PSC performance were analyzed. The results show that CuO functions as an HTL for thicknesses below 60 nm, while thicker CuO layers act as a secondary absorber, enhancing the photogeneration rate but also increasing recombination losses. These losses dominate beyond 10 µm and limit the photovoltaic performance. The optimal CuO thickness and acceptor density were 20 nm and 10¹⁹ cm⁻³, respectively. For the ZnO layer, increasing the donor concentration strengthened the electric field improving charge extraction, especially in thinner ZnO layers. The best photovoltaic performance was achieved for a ZnO thickness of 20 nm and a donor concentration of 5 × 10²¹ cm⁻³, yielding a conversion efficiency of 14.45%. The cell performance has been further investigated as a function of interface state density. A critical threshold of 10¹³ cm⁻² is identified for both interfaces, with greater susceptibility for MAPbI₃/CuO.