journal article·2025-02-07Open access

Reflectance Minimization of GaAs Solar Cell with Single- and Double-Layer Anti-Reflection Coatings: A Simulation Study

Gangasagar Sharma Gaudel, Seung-Ju Yu, D. Parajuli, Devendra KC, Khim B. Khattri, Young Jun Kim, Won-Yeop Rho

Coatings· Volume 15· Issue 2

Abstract

Renewable energy is in high demand, with significant contributions from the solar industry encouraging research into more efficient, cost-effective, and versatile solar cell technologies. Anti-reflection coating (ARC) is an important method for improving solar cell efficiency by minimizing light reflectance and maximizing photon absorption. This study investigates the electrical and optical behaviors of single- and double-layer ARCs for gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells, using PC1D simulation for single-layer SiO2, and ZnSe, and double-layer SiO2/ZnSe configurations. The findings indicate that the double-layer SiO2/ZnSe ARC structure significantly reduces reflectance and enhances light absorption, leading to a higher current density (Jsc) and overall efficiency. With optimized layer thicknesses of 60 nm (ZnSe) and 100 nm (SiO2), the efficiency increased from 20.628% to 30.904%, representing a 49.81% improvement. This enhancement is primarily attributed to the increased photon absorption and a higher electron–hole generation rate, confirming the superior performance of double-layer ARCs over single-layer configurations.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: solar cell performance optimization · Thin-Film Transistor Technologies · Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Graduate School of Integrated Energy-AI, Jeonbuk National University, 567 Baekje-Daero, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si 54896, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea

Research Center for Applied Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44613, Nepal

Myrveien 13, Lebesby Kommune, 9740 Lebesby, Norway

School of Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Kavre 45210, Nepal

Environmental Safety Group, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe (KIST-EUROPE), 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany

School of International Engineering and Science, Jeonbuk National University, 567 Baekje-Daero, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si 54896, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea

Funding

Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) · Bio-Cluster Industry Capacity Enhancement Project of Jeonbuk Technopark (JBTP)

References (55)

Show source-provided references
1. Renewable energy targets may undermine their sustainability10.1038/s41558-020-00939-x ↗
2. Climate change impacts on planned supply–demand match in global wind and solar energy systems10.1038/s41560-023-01304-w ↗
3. Thirunavukkarasu, G.S., Seyedmahmoudian, M., Chandran, J., Stojcevski, A., Subramanian, M., Marnadu, R., Alfaify, S., and Shkir, M. (2021). Optimization of Mono-Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Devices Using PC1D Simulation. Energies, 14.10.3390/en14164986 ↗
4. Yang, H.-Y., Chuquer, A., Han, S.-H., Gaudel, G.S., Pham, X.-H., Kim, H.-M., Yun, W.-J., Jun, B.-H., and Rho, W.-Y. (2021). Optimizing the Aspect Ratio of Nanopatterned Mesoporous TiO2 Thin-Film Layer to Improve Energy Conversion Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 22.10.3390/ijms222212235 ↗
5. Hussain, B., Aslam, A., Khan, T.M., Creighton, M., and Zohuri, B. (2019). Electron Affinity and Bandgap Optimization of Zinc Oxide for Improved Performance of ZnO/Si Heterojunction Solar Cell Using PC1D Simulations. Electronics, 8.10.3390/electronics8020238 ↗
6. Theoretical study on performance of heterojunction solar cell using wide bandgap metal oxide semiconductors
7. Band alignment of front contact layers for high-efficiency CdTe solar cells10.1016/j.solmat.2016.05.050 ↗
8. Parajuli, D., Kc, D., Khattri, K.B., Adhikari, D.R., Gaib, R.A., and Shah, D.K. (2023). Numerical assessment of optoelectrical properties of ZnSe–CdSe solar cell-based with ZnO antireflection coating layer. Sci. Rep., 13.10.1038/s41598-023-38906-z ↗
9. Machine Learning-Assisted Fabrication of PCBM-Perovskite Solar Cells with Nanopatterned TiO2 Layer10.1002/eem2.12676 ↗
10. Effects of metal impurities at the edges of cast Si ingot on crystal quality and solar cell performance10.1016/j.solener.2022.09.043 ↗
11. Design of thin film solar cells based on a unified simple analytical model10.1016/j.jart.2017.08.002 ↗
12. Absolutwerte der optischen Absorptionskonstanten von Alkalihalogenidkristallen im Gebiet ihrer ultravioletten Eigenfrequenzen10.1002/andp.19344110405 ↗
13. Enhanced Optical Absorption of GaAs Near-Band-Edge Transitions in GaAs/AlGaAs Core–Shell Nanowires: Implications for Nanowire Solar Cells10.1021/acsanm.2c04044 ↗
14. Systematic Investigation of the Optoelectronic Properties of GaAs Nanowire and Nanocone Solar Cells: Effect of Geometrical Nonuniformities, Angle of Incidence, and Structural and Electronic Parameters10.1021/acsaelm.3c00657 ↗
15. On optical properties of GaAs and GaAs/AlGaAs core-shell periodic nanowire arrays10.1063/1.3555096 ↗
16. Light trapping properties of pyramidally textured surfaces10.1063/1.339189 ↗
17. Simulation study of TiO2 single layer anti-reflection coating for GaAs solar cell10.1063/5.0153197 ↗
18. Lommel, E. (1888). Joseph von Fraunhofer’s Gesammelte Schriften, Verlag der K. Akademie.
19. Anti-reflecting and photonic nanostructures10.1016/j.mser.2010.04.001 ↗
20. Optimization of SiNx single and double layer ARC for silicon thin film solar cells on glass10.19026/rjaset.6.4094 ↗
21. Optimization of anti-reflective coatings using a graded index based on silicon oxynitride10.1007/s10825-019-01334-2 ↗
22. Design perspectives of a thin film GaAs solar cell integrated with Carrier Selective contacts and anti-reflection coatings: Optical and device analysis10.1016/j.jpcs.2024.112396 ↗
23. Preparation of SiO2 anti-reflection coatings by sol-gel method10.1016/j.egypro.2017.09.398 ↗
24. Properties of zinc sulfur selenide deposited using a close-spaced sublimation method10.1016/S0040-6090(01)01521-8 ↗
25. Preparation of antireflective SiO2 nanometric films10.1016/j.ceramint.2009.07.030 ↗
26. Excitonic properties of ZnSe/ZnSeS superlattices10.1063/1.111592 ↗
27. Electron-Selective Contact for GaAs Solar Cells10.1021/acsaem.0c02616 ↗
28. Optimization of anti-reflection coating for improving the performance of GaAs solar cell10.17485/ijst/2014/v7i5.11 ↗
29. Tuning the optical properties of GaAs solar cell through triple-layer antireflection coatings10.1016/j.matpr.2022.06.062 ↗
30. Optimized Single and Double Layer Antireflection Coatings for GaAs Solar Cells
31. Liu, S., and Zhang, Y.-H. (2013, January 7). MgF2/ZnS double-layer anti-reflection coating design for ultra-thin GaAs single-junction solar cells. Proceedings of the Renewable Energy and the Environment, Tucson, AZ, USA.10.1364/OSE.2013.RM4D.5 ↗
32. Antireflection coatings for GaAs solar cell applications10.1088/1742-6596/223/1/012045 ↗
33. Nayak, P.P., Dutta, J.P., and Mishra, G.P. (2015). Performance Evaluation of InGaP/GaAs Solar Cell with Double Layer ARC. Proceedings of the Intelligent Computing, Communication and Devices, Springer.10.1007/978-81-322-2012-1_59 ↗
34. Basore, P.A., and Clugston, D.A. (1996, January 13–17). PC1D version 4 for Windows: From analysis to design. Proceedings of the Conference Record of the Twenty Fifth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Washington, DC, USA.10.1109/PVSC.1996.564023 ↗
35. Subramanian, M., Nagarajan, B., Ravichandran, A., Subhash Betageri, V., Thirunavukkarasu, G.S., Jamei, E., Seyedmahmoudian, M., Stojcevski, A., Mekhilef, S., and Minnam Reddy, V.R. (2022). Optimization of Effective Doping Concentration of Emitter for Ideal c-Si Solar Cell Device with PC1D Simulation. Crystals, 12.10.3390/cryst12020244 ↗
36. Sathya, P., and Supriya, P. (2017, January 10–12). Design and analysis of AlGaAs/GaAs/Si multi junction solar cell using PC1D. Proceedings of the 2017 International conference on Microelectronic Devices, Circuits and Systems (ICMDCS), Vellore, India.10.1109/ICMDCS.2017.8211589 ↗
37. An Analysis and Optimization of Selective Emitter with Etched-Back Structure of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells Using TCAD Simulation10.1166/jctn.2013.3124 ↗
38. Input parameters for the simulation of silicon solar cells in 201410.1109/JPHOTOV.2015.2430016 ↗
39. Computational study on the performance of zinc selenide as window layer for efficient GaAs solar cell10.1016/j.matpr.2021.06.077 ↗
40. An InGaP/AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor with zero conduction-band discontinuity10.1016/S0749-6036(03)00014-4 ↗
41. A computational study of carrier lifetime, doping concentration, and thickness of window layer for GaAs solar cell based on Al2O3 antireflection layer10.1016/j.solener.2022.02.006 ↗
42. Numerical modeling of GaAs solar cell performances10.5755/j01.eee.19.8.5392 ↗
43. Chhabra, B., Jacobs, S., and Honsberg, C.B. (2006, January 7–12). Suns-Voc and Minority Carrier Lifetime Measurements of III-V Tandem Solar Cells. Proceedings of the 2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conference, Waikoloa, HI, USA.10.1109/WCPEC.2006.279575 ↗
44. Study on the Influence of Light Intensity on the Performance of Solar Cell10.1155/2021/6648739 ↗
45. Two-step photon up-conversion solar cells10.1038/ncomms14962 ↗
46. Honsberg, C.B., and Bowden, S.G. (2025, January 27). Photovoltaics Education Website. Available online: https://www.pveducation.org.
47. Simulation of multijunction solar cell interfaces for enhancement of the power conversion efficiency10.1007/s42452-024-05930-1 ↗
48. Refractive index determination of SiO2 layer in the UV/Vis/NIR range: Spectrophotometric reverse engineering on single and bi-layer designs10.2971/jeos.2013.13010 ↗
49. Refractive index measurements of ZnSe-based ternary epitaxial layers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs (100)
50. Determination of bound-electronic and free-carrier nonlinearities in ZnSe, GaAs, CdTe, and ZnTe10.1364/JOSAB.9.000405 ↗
51. Design and simulation of antireflection coating systems for optoelectronic devices: Application to silicon solar cells10.1016/S0927-0248(97)00273-0 ↗
52. Shah, D.K., Kc, D., Akhtar, M.S., Kim, C.Y., and Yang, O.B. (2020). Vertically Arranged Zinc Oxide Nanorods as Antireflection Layer for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell: A Simulation Study of Photovoltaic Properties. Appl. Sci., 10.10.3390/app10176062 ↗
53. Analysis of external quantum efficiency and conversion efficiency of thin crystalline silicon solar cells with textured front surface10.1007/s10825-016-0814-5 ↗
54. Influence of minority charge carrier lifetime and concentration on crystalline silicon solar cells based on double antireflection coating: A simulation study10.1016/j.optmat.2021.111500 ↗
55. Electron diffusion length and lifetime in p-type GaN10.1063/1.122743 ↗