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Over 10% Efficiency Pure Sulfide Kesterite Solar Cells on Transparent Electrode with Cd-Ag Co-Alloying.
Aoqi Xu1, Xinyu Li1, Hongkun Liu1
1Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biosensors, Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications (NJUPT), 9 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|October 22, 2024
Summary
Pure sulfide copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) solar cells show promise for transparent applications. Alloying with Cadmium and Silver significantly improves device performance and efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- High bandgap pure sulfide copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) semiconductors are suitable for transparent photovoltaic devices.
- Key challenges for CZTS solar cells include poor absorber quality and unfavorable band alignment, leading to charge recombination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of Cadmium (Cd) and Silver (Ag) alloying on the performance of pure sulfide CZTS solar cells fabricated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates.
- To address charge carrier recombination and improve device efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of CZTS solar cells on FTO substrates using dimethyl sulfoxide solution.
- Characterization of material properties and device performance.
- Analysis of alloying effects on defect concentration, band alignment, and grain boundaries.
Main Results:
- Cadmium alloying reduced defect concentration and shifted band alignment from Cliff-type to Spike-type, enhancing current density.
- Silver alloying passivated bulk and interface defects and eliminated unfavorable grain boundaries.
- A champion device achieved a power conversion efficiency of 10.3%, the highest reported for pure sulfide CZTS on FTO.
Conclusions:
- Cd and Ag alloying are effective strategies to improve the performance of pure sulfide CZTS solar cells.
- These advancements highlight the potential of pure sulfide kesterite solar cells for applications in transparent photovoltaics.
