Mathematical approach to photonic analysis of Ag-doped HfO₂ for antireflective and intermediate reflective applications in planar a-Si solar cells

IF 2.5 4区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Journal of Computational Electronics Pub Date : 2025-12-24 DOI:10.1007/s10825-025-02474-4

P. Uthayakumar, K. Kathiresan, M. Ismail Fathima, S. K. Logesh

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

We study (Ag:HfO₂), designed to act simultaneously as an antireflective coating (ARC) and an intermediate reflective layer (IRL) in planar amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells. The optical behavior is analyzed using Scilab-based simulations with the Transfer Matrix Method (TMM), enabling precise modeling of light propagation and interference within multilayer structures. Silver incorporation modifies the HfO₂ permittivity via free-carrier effects described by the Drude model, producing epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) conditions and regions with negative permittivity. These properties enhance light trapping and absorption by minimizing front surface reflection and boosting internal reflection at the rear interface. The proposed planar approach improves optical absorption and internal quantum efficiency (IQE) without requiring complex nanostructures, offering a scalable, fabrication-compatible strategy for high-efficiency thin-film solar cells.

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平面a-Si太阳能电池中掺银HfO 2抗反射和中间反射光子分析的数学方法

我们研究了在平面非晶硅（a-Si）太阳能电池中同时作为抗反射涂层（ARC）和中间反射层（IRL）的（Ag:HfO₂）。利用基于scilab的传输矩阵法（TMM）模拟分析了光学行为，实现了多层结构内光传播和干涉的精确建模。通过Drude模型描述的自由载流子效应，银的掺入改变了HfO₂的介电常数，产生了负介电常数的ENZ条件和区域。这些特性通过减少前表面反射和增强后界面的内部反射来增强光捕获和吸收。提出的平面方法提高了光吸收和内部量子效率（IQE），而不需要复杂的纳米结构，为高效薄膜太阳能电池提供了可扩展的、制造兼容的策略。

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来源期刊

Journal of Computational Electronics ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC-PHYSICS, APPLIED

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

4.80%

发文量

142

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： he Journal of Computational Electronics brings together research on all aspects of modeling and simulation of modern electronics. This includes optical, electronic, mechanical, and quantum mechanical aspects, as well as research on the underlying mathematical algorithms and computational details. The related areas of energy conversion/storage and of molecular and biological systems, in which the thrust is on the charge transport, electronic, mechanical, and optical properties, are also covered. In particular, we encourage manuscripts dealing with device simulation; with optical and optoelectronic systems and photonics; with energy storage (e.g. batteries, fuel cells) and harvesting (e.g. photovoltaic), with simulation of circuits, VLSI layout, logic and architecture (based on, for example, CMOS devices, quantum-cellular automata, QBITs, or single-electron transistors); with electromagnetic simulations (such as microwave electronics and components); or with molecular and biological systems. However, in all these cases, the submitted manuscripts should explicitly address the electronic properties of the relevant systems, materials, or devices and/or present novel contributions to the physical models, computational strategies, or numerical algorithms.