Comparative Optical Analysis of Organic and Inorganic Charge Transport Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract

This study investigates the optical performance of perovskite methylammonium lead iodide(MAPbI₃)-based solar cells with different transport layer configurations. Organic layers, including poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrenesulfonate(PEDOT:PSS)as the hole transport layer(HTL) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester(PC₆₀BM) as the electron transport layer(ETL), were compared against inorganic counterparts, nickel oxide (NiO) as the HTL and zinc oxide (ZnO) as the ETL. Optical constants were derived by fitting experimental transmittance data using the Tauc-Lorentz-Drude(TLD) and Tauc-Lorentz(TL) models. These constants were employed to simulate the external quantum efficiency(EQE) and short-circuit current density(Jsc) using the e-ARC platform, a simulation tool for evaluating multilayer solar cells. Comparative evaluations of reflectance, parasitic absorption losses, and their impact on J_sc were performed for various ETL and HTLc ombinations. The results highlight trade-off sinoptical performance across device architectures and explore strategies to mitigate parasitic losses, particularly through optimizing layer thicknesses and material properties. This work provides key insights into improving perovskite solar cell efficiencies through integrated optical modeling and design strategies.