Bridging efficiency and heat-generation analysis in perovskite solar cells through integrated opto–electro–thermal modeling

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive numerical opto-electro-thermal simulation framework for planar and half-tandem perovskite solar cells (PSCs), emphasizing the critical role of absorber-layer thickness in device optimization. Using CsPbI 3 and FASnI 3 as absorbers, we systematically analyze both planar and half-tandem configurations to simultaneously enhance light absorption, carrier generation, and electrical performance, and heat-generation characteristics. The simulation results show that for the planar PSC, increasing the CsPbI 3 thickness from 200 nm to 600 nm improves the J sc from 14.01 to 18.62 mA/cm 2 and raises the PCE to 21.76%. In contrast, a simulated half-tandem structure comprising a 200 nm CsPbI 3 layer and a 700 nm FASnI 3 layer achieves remarkable performance, with a J sc of 28.17 mA/cm 2 , a V oc of 1.32 V, and a PCE of 31.2%—demonstrating a substantial efficiency gain over single-junction devices. This study establishes a unified opto–electro–thermal simulation framework that correlates absorber-layer thickness with optical absorption, carrier transport, and dominant heat-generation mechanisms. The proposed framework systematically investigates the dominant heat-generation mechanisms, including carrier thermalization, Joule heating, and non-radiative recombination, as functions of absorber-layer thickness. The presented framework provides an effective numerical approach for simultaneously optimizing photovoltaic performance while evaluating internal heat-generation characteristics in perovskite solar cells.