Improvement of hetero-interface engineering by partial substitution of Zn in Cu2ZnSnS4-based solar cells

Charif Tamin; Denis Chaumont; Olivier Heintz; Aymeric Leray; Mohamed Adnane

doi:10.1051/epjpv/2022022

All issues

Volume 13 (2022)

EPJ Photovolt., 13 (2022) 24

Abstract

Special Issue on ‘Recent Advances in Spectroscopy and Microscopy of Thin-films Materials, Interfaces, and Solar Cells 2021', edited by A. Vossier, M. Gueunier-Farret, J.-P. Kleider and D. Mencaraglia

Open Access

Issue		EPJ Photovolt. Volume 13, 2022 Special Issue on ‘Recent Advances in Spectroscopy and Microscopy of Thin-films Materials, Interfaces, and Solar Cells 2021', edited by A. Vossier, M. Gueunier-Farret, J.-P. Kleider and D. Mencaraglia


Article Number		24
Number of page(s)		13
Section		Semiconductor Thin Films
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/epjpv/2022022
Published online		18 October 2022

EPJ Photovolt. 13, 24 (2022)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjpv/2022022

Regular Article

Improvement of hetero-interface engineering by partial substitution of Zn in Cu₂ZnSnS₄-based solar cells

Charif Tamin¹^,2^,3^*, Denis Chaumont¹, Olivier Heintz¹, Aymeric Leray¹ and Mohamed Adnane²

¹ Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne (ICB UMR 6303 CNRS), Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, BP 47 870, 21078 Dijon, France
² Laboratoire de Microscopie Electronique et Sciences des Matériaux (LMESM), Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d'Oran Mohamed Boudiaf USTO-MB, El M'naouar BP 1505, Bir El Djir, 31000 Oran, Algeria
³ Univ. Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CPE Lyon, INL, UMR 5270, 69621 Villeurbanne, France

^* e-mail: charif.tamin@insa-lyon.fr

Received: 17 March 2022
Received in final form: 4 July 2022
Accepted: 21 September 2022
Published online: 18 October 2022

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of partial substitution of zinc (Zn) in pure sulfide kesterite (Cu₂ZnSnS₄) by cadmium (Cd) and manganese (Mn) incorporation. Thin films of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS), Cu₂Zn_1–xCd_xSnS₄ (CCZTS) and Cu₂Zn_1–xMn_xSnS₄(CMZTS) were produced chemically. A comparison of pure CZTS with CCZTS and CMZTS was performed to study the influence of Cd and Mn incorporation on the morphology, structure, optical and electronic properties of the films. The results show an improvement of the morphology and an adjustment of the band gap and valence band position by partial substitution of Zn with Cd and Mn. In addition, for the first time, the band alignment at the absorber/buffer hetero-interface is studied with partial Zn substitution. Band alignments at the absorber/buffer hetero-interface were estimated by XPS and UV/Visible measurements. The results show a cliff-like CBO for CZTS/CdS heterojunction, a spike-like CBO for CCZTS/CdS and a near flat-band CBO for CMZTS/CdS heterojunction.

Key words: Kesterite / solar cell / cation substitution / band alignment

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