Numerical analysis of p- and n-type Zn-doped CuO absorbers for solar cells

In this study, one-dimensional solar cell capacitance simulator simulation was conducted to examine zinc (Zn)-doped copper oxide (CuO) absorbers for photovoltaic applications. Systematically analysed and compared were 6% zinc-doped p-type copper oxide and 12% zinc-doped n-type copper oxide by varying thickness (1.0–2.0 µm), bandgap (1.0–2.0 eV), doping concentration (10¹⁰–10²⁰ cm⁻³), and temperature (300–350 K). The obtained results showed that 12% zinc-doped n-type copper oxide achieved 25% efficiency at 1.6 µm thickness, 1.65 eV bandgap, and carrier concentration ranging between 10¹⁷ and 10¹⁸ cm⁻³. This configuration also demonstrated thermal stability within the tested temperature range. This confirms that controlled doping concentration critically influences device output and provides reference data for developing copper oxide-based solar cells.