p-i-n solar cell modeling with graphene as electrode

Graphene is a 2-D atomic layer of carbon atoms with unique electronic properties like outstanding carrier mobility, high carrier saturation velocity, excellent thermal conductivity, high mechanical strength, transparency, thinness, and flexibility which make graphene an excellent choice of material for advanced applications in future solar cell design. We modeled a solar cell using graphene as the front electrode to study its performance and compare the performance with that of other possible contenders- indium tin oxide (ITO), widely used material at present and carbon nanotube (CNT), another promising material in this regard. Numerical solutions of the electrostatic and transport equations were obtained using the finite-element method. It was found that solar cell with graphene electrode can outperform the others. We also studied its performance as a function of various parameters. The developed model and obtained results are important for the design of solar cell with graphene as electrode.