Numerical modeling of ZnSnO/CZTS based solar cells

Numerical simulation has been performed to improve the performance of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cells by replacing CdS with Zn1–xSnxO buffer layer. The influences of thickness, donor concentration and defect density of buffer layers on the performance of CZTS solar cells were investigated. It has been found that Zn1–xSnxO buffer layer for Sn content of 0.20 is better for CZTS solar cell. A higher efficiency can be achieved with thinner buffer layer. The optimized solar cell demonstrated a maximum power conversion efficiency of 13%.     

Growth and characterization of ZnO thin films prepared by electrodeposition technique

ZnO thin films were deposited on either indium tin oxide-coated glass or copper substrate by the electrodeposition process, using zinc chloride and flowing air as precursors. The effect of pH on the structural and morphological ZnO films was studied and the optimum deposition conditions have been outlined. The kinetics of the growth of the films have been investigated. We note that the rate of deposition of ZnO in an acidic solution was larger than in a basic solution. The structure of the films was studied using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The surface morphology and thickness of the films were determined using scanning electron microscopy. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the films are polycrystalline with hexagonal crystal structure (zincite) at pH 4. The optical transmittance of ZnO decreases with varying film thickness. The optical energy bandgap was found to be 3.26 eV.     

Influence of the layer parameters on the performance of the CdTe solar cells

Influence of the layer parameters on the performances of the CdTe solar cells is analyzed by SCAPS-1D. The ZnO:Al film shows a high efficiency than SnO2:F. Moreover, the thinner window layer and lower defect density of CdS films are the factor in the enhancement of the short-circuit current density. As well, to increase the open-circuit voltage, the responsible factors are low defect density of the absorbing layer CdTe and high metal work function. For the low cost of cell production, ultrathin film CdTe cells are used with a back surface field (BSF) between CdTe and back contact, such as PbTe. Further, the simulation results show that the conversion efficiency of 19.28% can be obtained for the cell with 1-μm-thick CdTe, 0.1-μm-thick PbTe and 30-nm-thick CdS.     

Synthesis of In2S3 thin films by spray pyrolysis from precursors with different [S]/[In] ratios

Indium sulfide （InzS3） thin films were prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis technique from solutions with different [S]/[In] ratios on glass substrates at a constant temperature of 250 ~C. Thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, energy disper- sive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）, Raman spectroscopy and optical transmittance spectroscopy. All samples exhibit a polycrystalline structure with a preferential orientation along （0, 0, 12）. A good stoichiometry was attained for all samples. The morphology of thin film surfaces, as seen by SEM, was dense and no cracks or pinholes were ob- served. Raman spectroscopy analysis shows active modes belonging to j3-1naS3 phase. The optical transmittance in the visible range is higher than 60% and the band gap energy slightly increases with the sulfur to indium ratio, attaining a value of 2.63 eV for [S]/[In] ： 4.5.     

Effects of copper concentration on the properties of Cu2CoSnS4 thin films co-electrodeposited on the FTO substrate

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - The optimization of the factors influencing the co-electrodeposition method makes it extremely efficient in the production of thin films...