Numerical investigation of the novel lead-free and eco-friendly InSnCl₃-based inorganic perovskite solar cell using SCAPS-1D device simulation

Recently, there have been notable advancements in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), especially those incorporating organic-inorganic lead halides, leading to an impressive efficiency milestone of 25.20%. Nevertheless, the enduring problem of lead toxicity represents a substantial hurdle to their broad commercial utilization. In response to this challenge, the study centers on refining lead-free tin-based halide perovskite solar cells by employing SCAPS-1D simulation software for optimization. In our study, we use InSnCl₃ as the absorber layer, TiO₂ as the electron transport layer (ETL), PH3T as the hole transport layer (HTL), and various metals as the back metal contact. Thorough investigations have been conducted into various factors affecting device parameters, including thickness, doping concentration N_A, defect density, series and shunt resistance, operating temperature. Optimizing the back metal contact results in the formation of the FTO/TiO₂/InSnCl₃/PH3T/Co structure. The optimized device exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.26%, fill factor (FF) of 69.28%, a photocurrent density (Jsc) of 33.17 mA. cm^− 2, a voltage open circuit (V_oc) of 0.7 V, and quantum efficiency (QE) of 100% in the visible range. This study demonstrates the potential of InSnCl₃ as a perovskite material to achieve toxicity free renewable energy.