Investigation of Gallium Nitride Emitter Thickness in GaN/Si Heterojunction Solar Cell by SCAPS-1D.

III-nitride materials have attracted wide interests for optoelectronic and electronic applications due to their unique and tuneable semiconducting and optical properties. Gallium nitride (GaN) exhibits wide bandgap of 3.42 eV, high thermal and chemical stability, with a strong potential to act as an electron selective contact (i.e., emitter) in GaN/Si heterojunction solar cells. However, despite all the advantages, to date, there is no published research that has which utilized GaN as an emitter in the GaN/Si heterojunction solar cells. In this work, SCAPS-1D simulation is utilized to investigate the electrical properties of GaN emitter on 150 μ m-thick monocrystalline silicon (mono c-Si) absorber layer in GaN/Si heterojunction solar cell architecture. GaN emitter with the thickness of 30–120 nm are studied and the effects toward open-circuit voltage ( V OC ), short-circuit current density ( J SC ) , fill factor (FF), power conversion efficiency (PCE) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the solar cell are analyzed. The optimum thickness of the GaN emitter is found to be 60 nm with J SC of 37.53 mA/cm2, V OC of 628.73 mV and PCE of 19.43%. The findings show the potential of the GaN/Si heterojunction solar cell for the future of the PV industry, especially for applications in harsh and extreme conditions. Utilizing SCAPS-1D simulation, GaN emitters of various thicknesses (30–120 nm) have been investigated on 150 μm-thick mono c-Si absorber layer in GaN/Si heterojunction solar cells. The effects of the emitter thickness on the electrical properties of the solar cell have been examined. The optimum thickness of the GaN emitter is found to be 60 nm with VOC of 628.73 mV, JSC of 37.53 mA/cm2 and PCE of 19.43%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]