An Exploration of Lead-Free Sb2Se3 Thin Film Solar Cell with Graphene as Hole Transport Layer Using SCAPS-1D

Thin-film solar cells (TFSCs) have captured an enormous attention in recent times owing to their adaptability, afford-ability, and compact size. Sb
2
Se
3
has promising characteristics as a viable absorber material for TFSCs by virtue of its remarkable absorption coefficient, tunable bandgap, and cost-effectiveness. Yet, Sb
2
-Se
3
-based TFSCs have been hampered in their commercialization by the conventional HTLs limited stability and degradation issues. The unique optical and electrical properties of graphene can make it an ideal HTL for Sb
2
Se
3
-based TFSCs. This study represents the optimization of Sb
2
-Se
3
-based TFSC with the following structure: ITO/WS
2
/Sb
2
Se
3
/Graphene/Au, where Graphene has been inserted as an HTL layer to accomplish proper band alignment and diminish recombination loss at the rear electrode. This study also examines the influence of interface defects, shunt and series resistance, temperature, J-V characteristics, and quantum efficiency (QE) on the performance parameters of solar cell. The SCAPS-1D simulator has been used to attain an efficiency of 26.74% with a V
OC
value of 0.8475 V, Jsc value of 37.46 mA/cm2, and FF value of 84.20%. The observations of this study offer an effective approach for producing cost-effective and high-performing Sb
2
Se
3
solar cells by using the suitable HTL.