Evaluating CZTS Solar Cell Performance Based on Generation and Recombination Models for Possible ETLs Through Numerical Analysis

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials Vol. 53; no. 4; pp. 2015 - 2025
• Main Authors: Dakua, Pratap Kumar, Dash, Rajib Kumar, Laidouci, Abdelmoumene, Bhattarai, Sagar, Dudekula, Usen, Kashyap, Savita, Agarwal, Vipul, Rashed, Ahmed Nabih Zaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-04-2024; Springer Nature B.V; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Clean energy; Copper zinc tin sulfide; Efficiency; Electron transport; Electronics and Microelectronics; Engineering Sciences; Instrumentation; Lead free; Materials Science; Numerical analysis; Open circuit voltage; Optical and Electronic Materials; Original Research Article; Photovoltaic cells; Short circuit currents; Shunt resistance; Solar cells; Solid State Physics; Tin disulfide; CZTS absorber layer; electron transport layers; efficiency; generation–recombination profiles; SCAPS-1D
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-024-10930-3

In the era of green sustainable energy, the quest for lead-free and nontoxic materials is driven by the need to meet the increasing energy demands of the twenty-first century. In this scenario, copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS)-based solar cells could be a viable option due to their suitable band alignment and cost-effectiveness. This study investigates CZTS-based solar cells through the use of five potential electron transport layers (ETLs) via the SCAPS-1D simulation software and modeling framework. Initially, all possible combinations, namely In
2
S
3
/CZTS, WS
2
/CZTS, CdS/CZTS, ZnS/CZTS, and SnS
2
/CZTS, and their generation–recombination (GR) profiles were considered in order to analyze the efficiency of the solar cells. Additionally, calibration of the device was performed to analyze the performance of the solar cells, while considering several electrical and optical factors including acceptor density and interfacial defect density. The study investigated the influence of series and shunt resistance on the performance of SnS
2
/CZTS solar cells among the five studied configurations. Results showed that the performance of solar cells is influenced by temperature, leading to variations in the output parameters over a temperature range from 300 K to 400 K. Finally, the findings of the study demonstrate that the utilization of SnS
2
as the ETL material in conjunction with CZTS as the absorber layer material yielded maximum efficiency of 21.89%, open-circuit voltage (
V
oc
) of 0.97 V, short-circuit current density (
J
sc
) of 26.53 mA/cm
2
, and fill factor (FF) of 84.86%. These findings demonstrate significant potential in advancing the production of CZTS-based solar cells characterized by high efficiency, affordability, and environmental safety.
Graphical Abstract