Numerical Simulation of Tunneling Effect in High-Efficiency Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cell

At present, silicon solar cells are predominantly commercialized in the market because of low cost, reliable and well-established technology, with a solar module efficiency of 16% to 22%. However, perovskite is cheaper to produce than silicon and has much better light absorption properties. It is known that silicon solar cells show highest efficiency in the 800-1100 nm range while perovskite solar cells perform best in the 500-700 nm range. In this work, using numerical device simulation, we investigate a tandem structure with the upper part as perovskite solar cell and the lower part as silicon solar cell. These two solar cells are interconnected using a thin TiO ₂ conducting layer of 20 nm which facilitates the tunneling of electrons. The simulated tandem cell structure is able to minimize thermalization losses associated with hot carriers, providing maximum efficiency of 25.4%. The tunneling mechanism is realized by COMSOL Multiphysics.