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In Situ Monitoring of the Accelerated Performance Degradation of Solar Cells and Modules: A Case Study for CuIn,GaSe2 Solar Cells
Published on: October 3, 2018
Suppressing interface recombination in CZTSSe solar cells by simple selenization with synchronous interface gradient
Xin-Pan Cui1, Qiong Ma1, Wen-Hui Zhou1
1The Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of MOE, School of Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for High-efficiency Display and Lighting Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China. zhouwh@vip.henu.edu.cn.
Cd gradient doping significantly reduces recombination in kesterite copper zinc tin sulfide selenide (CZTSSe) solar cells. This strategy improves open-circuit voltage (V_OC) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) for better solar energy conversion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- Kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells suffer from low open-circuit voltage (V_OC) primarily due to severe carrier recombination.
- Carrier recombination at the front interface, exacerbated by a poor defect environment and unfavorable band structure, is a critical issue limiting device performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and investigate a novel Cd gradient doping strategy during selenization to mitigate interface recombination and improve V_OC in CZTSSe solar cells.
- To reduce detrimental Cu_Zn defects and associated defect clusters near the CZTSSe-CdS heterojunction.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of a Cd gradient doping approach near the front interface of CZTSSe during the selenization process.
- Characterization of the defect landscape and electronic properties of the CZTSSe layer and the CZTSSe-CdS heterojunction.
Main Results:
- The Cd gradient doping effectively reduced Cu_Zn defects and [2Cu_Zn + Sn_Zn] defect clusters at the CZTSSe-CdS heterojunction.
- Interface recombination was significantly suppressed, leading to a substantial increase in V_OC from 432 mV to 486 mV.
- A champion CZTSSe solar cell achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.14%.
Conclusions:
- Cd gradient doping is a viable and effective strategy for enhancing the performance of CZTSSe solar cells by reducing interface recombination.
- This approach offers a new perspective for selenization processes and element gradient doping in various optoelectronic devices.
