Precisely tuning Ge substitution for efficient solution-processed Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 solar cells

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/27/1/018809

Abstract The kesterite Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ (CZTSSe) solar cells have yielded a prospective conversion efficiency among all thin-film photovoltaic technology. However, its further development is still hindered by the lower open-circuit voltage (V_oc), and the non-ideal bandgap of the absorber is an important factor affecting this issue. The substitution of Sn with Ge provides a unique ability to engineer the bandgap of the absorber film. Herein, a simple precursor solution approach was successfully developed to fabricate Cu₂Zn(Sn_yGe_1-y)(S_xSe_1-x)₄ (CZTGSSe) solar cells. By precisely adjusting the Ge content in a small range, the V_oc and J_sc are enhanced simultaneously. Benefitting from the optimized bandgap and the maintained spike structure and light absorption, the 10% Ge/(Ge+Sn) content device with a bandgap of approximately 1.1 eV yields the highest efficiency of 9.36%. This further indicates that a precisely controlled Ge content could further improve the cell performance for efficient CZTGSSe solar cells.

Keywords: Cu₂ZnSn (S Se)₄ solar cells Ge substitution bandgap

Received: 28 September 2017
Revised: 17 November 2017
Accepted manuscript online:

PACS:	88.40.ff	(Performance testing)
	88.40.hj	(Efficiency and performance of solar cells)
	88.40.jn	(Thin film Cu-based I-III-VI2 solar cells)
	85.60.Bt	(Optoelectronic device characterization, design, and modeling)

Fund: Project supported by the Joint Talent Cultivation Funds of NSFC-HN (Grant No. U1604138), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21603058 and 51702085), the Innovation Research Team of Science and Technology in Henan Province, China (Grant No. 17IRTSTHN028), the Science and Technology Innovation Talents in Universities of Henan Province, China (Grant No. 18HASTIT016), and the Young Key Teacher Foundation of Universities of Henan Province, China (Grant No. 2015GGJS-022).

Corresponding Authors: Dongxing Kou, Sixin Wu
E-mail: koudongxing@henu.edu.cn;wusixin@henu.edu.cn

Cite this article:

Xinshou Wang(王新收), Dongxing Kou(寇东星), Wenhui Zhou(周文辉), Zhengji Zhou(周正基), Qingwen Tian(田庆文), Yuena Meng(孟月娜), Sixin Wu(武四新) Precisely tuning Ge substitution for efficient solution-processed Cu₂ZnSn(S, Se)₄ solar cells 2018 Chin. Phys. B 27 018809

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Precisely tuning Ge substitution for efficient solution-processed Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 solar cells

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Precisely tuning Ge substitution for efficient solution-processed Cu₂ZnSn(S, Se)₄ solar cells