Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells fabricated by short-term sulfurization of sputtered Sn/Zn/Cu precursors under an H2S atmosphere

Combinatorial sputtering of Ga-doped (Zn,Mg)O for contact applications in solar cells

“…Even with such promising attributes, the thin film PV devices made with intrinsic zinc oxide (i-ZnO) as a heterojunction partner are not on par with CdS, the conventional buffer layer that is often prepared by wet process such as chemical bath deposition (CBD). Only 5.2% efficiency is reported with i-ZnO buffer layer for CZTS solar cells, whereas the record efficiency with CdS is ~12% [7]. Also in CIGS, 14% efficiency [8] is reported with i-ZnO buffer layer whereas the record efficiency of CdS/CIGS device is ~21.7% [14].…”

“…One of the most commonly used semiconductors, zinc oxide (ZnO), has been applied in a variety of photovoltaic solar cells, such as Si [1], III-V [2], CdTe [3], OPV [4], perovskites [5], Cu 2 O [6], Kesterites [7] and Chalcopyrites [8]. With some tuning, this material can be used in different contact roles, including heterojunction partners (a.k.a.…”

Characterisation and properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films synthesised by sputtering from an alloy target

“…8 Among the deposition techniques, sputtering represents a promising low-cost, low-environmental impact, industrially scalable technology for CZTS thin-film deposition. For the sputtering of CZTS films, the most widely used method is to deposit multilayered precursors followed by sulphurisation under ambient H 2 S. 15,16 Although this technique offers flexibility in controlling the composition, it also has some problems in terms of compositional homogeneity, which can result in the formation of the secondary phases or voids. 15 The use of alloy targets can avoid inhomogeneity in the CZTS films, and the composition of the as-deposited films can be easily controlled by adjusting the sputtering pressure and deposition rate.…”

“…For the sputtering of CZTS films, the most widely used method is to deposit multilayered precursors followed by sulphurisation under ambient H 2 S. 15,16 Although this technique offers flexibility in controlling the composition, it also has some problems in terms of compositional homogeneity, which can result in the formation of the secondary phases or voids. 15 The use of alloy targets can avoid inhomogeneity in the CZTS films, and the composition of the as-deposited films can be easily controlled by adjusting the sputtering pressure and deposition rate. Amal et al reported the synthesis of CZTS films by sulphurising precursor RF-sputtered from Cu-Zn-Sn alloy target and studied the influences of substrate temperatures and sulphurisation temperatures on the properties of the CZTS films.…”

Control of composition and properties by the use of reflector wall in RF sputter deposition of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films

“…The theoretical solar conversion efficiency of CZTS-based solar cells is estimated to be 32% [2]. Several types of deposition techniques for CZTS thin films have been investigated, including a combination of sputtering of precursor layers and post-deposition sulfurization [3][4][5][6][7][8], reactive sputtering [9,10], sputtering using a quaternary target or mixed compound target [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], pulsed-laser deposition [19], thermal evaporation [20], spray pyrolysis [21,22], electro-deposition [23], and chemical solution-based synthesis [24].…”