Hybrid semiconductor based on CuO/Cu2O/CIGS: analysis of photovoltaic properties

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of various hybrid solar cell structures based on copper oxide (CuO, Cu2O) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) configurations. Three different architectures CuO/CIGS, Cu2O/CIGS, and CuO/Cu2O/CIGS were simulated using the solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS-1D) to investigate their optoelectronic properties and performance parameters. The influence of key factors including the CIGS absorber layer thickness (0.5–3.0 µm), acceptor density (10¹⁵–10¹⁷ cm⁻³), and defect density (10¹³–10¹⁵ cm⁻³) was systematically analyzed. Energy band diagrams were constructed to elucidate the charge carrier transport mechanisms at the heterojunction interfaces. The results demonstrate that the CuO/Cu2O/CIGS structure exhibits superior performance with a power conversion efficiency of up to 24.2% at optimized parameters, compared to 21.8% for Cu2O/CIGS and 24.2% for CuO/CIGS configurations. The enhanced performance is attributed to the favorable band alignment and reduced interface recombination in the triple-layer structure. This work provides valuable insights for designing high-efficiency thin-film solar cells and establishes optimal parameters for future experimental fabrication of copper oxide-CIGS hybrid photovoltaic devices.