Experimental and numerical simulation of deposition time effect on ZnS thin films for CZTS-based solar cells

High-quality ZnS thin films as buffer layer have been successfully synthesized and simulated using the low-cost Mist CVD technique and the SCAPS-1D software for different deposition times (30, 40, 50, and 60 min). The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the prepared ZnS films have b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Optical and quantum electronics Vol. 53; no. 9
Main Authors:	Khaaissa, Yassine, Talbi, Abdelali, Nouneh, Khalid, El Khouja, Outman, Ahmoum, Hassan, Galca, Aurelian Catalin, Belahmar, Ahmed, Li, Guojian, wang, Qiang
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	New York Springer US 01-09-2021 Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Atomic force microscopy Buffer layers Characterization and Evaluation of Materials Computer Communication Networks Copper zinc tin sulfide Deposition Electrical Engineering Lasers Microscopes Microscopy Optical Devices Optical properties Optics Photonics Photovoltaic cells Physics Physics and Astronomy Preferred orientation Raman spectra Scanning electron microscopy Simulation Software Solar cells Thin films Visual fields X-ray diffraction Zinc oxide Thin films Solar cells Buffer layer Deposition time effect Mist CVD ZnS
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Summary:	High-quality ZnS thin films as buffer layer have been successfully synthesized and simulated using the low-cost Mist CVD technique and the SCAPS-1D software for different deposition times (30, 40, 50, and 60 min). The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the prepared ZnS films have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The time deposition effect on ZnS films’ efficiency as a buffer layer has been evaluated. XRD pattern confirms the hexagonal/cubic structure of the prepared samples, with (111) as preferred orientation. Raman spectra confirm XRD findings by the two peaks located at 348 cm −1 and 697 cm −1 which correspond to ZnS samples' cubic and hexagonal structures. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images show densely uniform grains with precise shapes and boundaries covering the entire sample's surface with a relative roughness for all deposition times. The optical transmittance shows an average of 78% in the visual field of light with an optical band gap varying between 3.69 and 3.80 eV. Numerical simulation of ZnO:Al/ZnS/CZTS/Mo cell using SCAPS-1D software shows that the sample deposited for 30 min presents the best performance with an efficiency of up to 8.9%.
ISSN:	0306-8919 1572-817X
DOI:	10.1007/s11082-021-03143-z