𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗶𝗢₂ 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗔𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻-𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀

Can the thickness of an anti-reflective coating determine how efficiently a solar cell converts sunlight into electricity?

This study develops a coupled optical–electrical simulation framework to examine how titanium dioxide anti-reflective coating thickness affects the performance of gallium arsenide thin-film solar cells.

Using MATLAB, the researchers evaluated TiO₂ coatings with thicknesses of 50, 75, and 100 nm under AM 1.5G illumination at 300 K. The model connected wavelength-dependent reflectance, transmittance, absorptance, and quantum efficiency directly to electrical performance.

The results showed that the 50 nm coating produced the lowest reflectance and highest absorptance across the 300–900 nm wavelength range. This improved light entry into the GaAs absorber and increased the generation of charge carriers.

The 50 nm coating also delivered the strongest electrical performance, recording a short-circuit current density of approximately 34.7 mA/cm², an open-circuit voltage of about 0.839 V, and a fill factor of approximately 0.842.

Its maximum power conversion efficiency reached approximately 24.2%, compared with 22.95% for the 75 nm coating and 21.85% for the 100 nm coating.

Increasing the coating thickness beyond 50 nm disrupted the optimum interference condition, increased optical reflection, reduced light absorption, and lowered current generation.

The quantum-efficiency results followed the same pattern, with the 50 nm coating performing best across the simulated spectrum, particularly at shorter wavelengths.

The findings demonstrate that thicker coatings do not automatically produce better solar-cell performance. Instead, efficiency depends on carefully balancing optical absorption, current generation, voltage, and fill factor.

The proposed framework provides a computationally efficient tool for designing anti-reflective coatings and optimizing high-performance GaAs and other III–V photovoltaic devices.

📖 Read the full article here:
https://doi.org/10.61298/rans.2026.4.2.367

Published in: Recent Advances in Natural Sciences