MODELING OF A CIGS SOLAR CELL IN SENTAURUS TCAD
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Keywords

Thin-film solar cells CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) Sentaurus TCAD numerical modeling heterostructure correlation analysis

How to Cite

Komilov, A. G., & Istamov, D. B. (2026). MODELING OF A CIGS SOLAR CELL IN SENTAURUS TCAD. Alternative Energy, 23(2), 19-26. https://doi.org/10.70769/2181-2284.ME.2(23).2026.2

Abstract

In this work, a numerical model of a thin-film CIGS solar cell was developed and calibrated using Synopsys Sentaurus TCAD. The methodology is based on the self-consistent solution of drift–diffusion equations, with optical generation calculated using the transfer matrix method. The performed correlation analysis revealed a strong dependence of the bandgap energy (E₉) on the open-circuit voltage (r ≈ 0.99), as well as the influence of the CdS layer thickness and fill factor (FF) on the device efficiency. The obtained results can be used to optimize flexible photovoltaic devices.

Materials and Methods. Numerical modeling of CIGS solar cells was performed in TCAD using the drift–diffusion approximation, with a self-consistent solution of charge transport equations, optical generation calculated via the transfer matrix method, and inclusion of the main recombination mechanisms in the multilayer Mo/CIGS/CdS/OVC structure.

Results. Numerical modeling of the CIGS solar cell was performed for 36 configurations under standard AM 1.5 G illumination, with the efficiency ranging from 16.19% to 19.99% depending on the structural parameters.

Correlation analysis revealed a strong dependence of the bandgap energy (E₉) on the open-circuit voltage (Vₒc) (r ≈ 0.99) and the photocurrent (Jₚₕ), as well as a decrease in efficiency with increasing thickness of the CdS and CIGS layers. The fill factor (FF) was found to have the greatest impact on improving the device efficiency.

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References

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Copyright (c) 2026 Komilov, A.G'., Istamov, D.B. (Muallif)

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