Design and performance analysis of n-MoS2/p-Si heterojunction solar cell for emerging optoelectronic applications

Sustainable, green, and clean energy sources based electrical energy conversion are essential to the modern world. A solar or photovoltaic cell is a major part to accomplish the energy needs. Two-dimensional materials such as Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) based heterojunction solar cells attracted researchers for their extraordinary chemical, physical, thermal, mechanical, optical, and electrical stability. In this work, electrical behaviour of n-MoS₂/p-Si heterojunction-based solar cells have been simulated with the help of the Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator One Dimensional (SCAPS-1D) tool. Performances of MoS₂-based solar cells were examined by varying the active layer’s thickness and metal contacts. The impact of interfacial defect density, series, and shunt resistance is also evaluated at various working temperatures of these solar cells. An efficiency (η) of 12.63% was obtained using best combinations of different parameters, which is sufficiently high compared to experimentally reported values. This study will provide essential insight to develop high-performance solar cells with two-dimensional (2D) materials.