Design considerations of CdSe solar cells for indoor applications under white LED illumination

This work sheds light on the potential of Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) solar cells for indoor applications. CdSe boasts a wide direct bandgap, high carrier mobility, and a high absorption coefficient, making it an attractive candidate for harnessing ambient indoor light. Our study centers around an experimental solar cell architecture composed of FTO/CdSe/PEDOT:PSS/CuI/ITO, which exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.00 %. Through a meticulous analysis of the core technological aspects of this cell, we successfully replicate the measured current-voltage characteristics and other experimental data, affirming the validity of our simulation modeling approach. Moving forward, we delve into the design and optimization of CdSe-based solar cells under white LED illumination. We emphasize the pivotal role of a double-hole transport layer (HTL) configuration over a single HTL, with a focus on optimizing the alignment between the HTL/back contact and HTL/absorber interfaces. The strategic incorporation of a heavily doped p-type HTL material, boasting both a deep valence band maximum (VBM) and a shallow conduction band minimum (CBM), is identified as paramount, especially for a deep VBM absorber like CdSe. Adding double HTL materials also facilitates efficient hole collection within the CdSe thin film while mitigating undesirable electron-hole recombination at the critical interface between the hole collection layer and the electrode. The implementation of a double HTL configuration based on CuI/ZnTe:Cu or CuI/BCS significantly enhances performance, resulting in a PCE in the order of 20 % under 200 lux and 2900 K LED illumination. Moreover, we introduce the single HTL design to provide other alternatives for efficiency boosting. Upon increasing the work function of the front contact, it is found that the valence band offset between the HTL and the absorber can be engineered, resulting in a PCE above 21.5 %. •The CdSe-based solar cell is a potential solution for indoor light harvesting due to their wide bandgap.•A calibration step of the simulation model against fabricated CdSe cell enables accurate validation of the simulation model.•The design is based on a double HTL structure based on CuI/ZnTe:Cu or CuI/BCS to enhance band alignment.•A PCE in the order of 20 % under 200 lux and 2900 K LED illumination was achieved.•Based on a single HTL and engineered front contact design, a PCE above 21.5 % is achieved.