Optimization: a proposed pathway to overcome the impasse of low efficiency in CZTS thin-film photovoltaics
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Optimization: a proposed pathway to overcome the impasse of low efficiency in CZTS thin-film photovoltaics Adeyinka D. Adewoyin1,*
1
, Muteeu A. Olopade1, Olusola O. Oyebola1, and Balogun Rilwan1
Department of Physics, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria
Received: 5 May 2020
ABSTRACT
Accepted: 21 August 2020
The quest to improve the performance of copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) thinfilm photovoltaics has been increasing recently. This pursuit is driven by the optimal direct bandgap, non-toxic, and abundant constituent elements of CZTS. In this work, a novel CZTS thin-film solar cell with FTO/AZO/CdS/CZTS/ MoS2/Mo device structure has been numerically modeled and simulated with SCAPS-1D software. This modeled structure was achieved from a combination of different optimization processes, which involves the window layer, absorber layer, and the back interface of the device. Simulation of this device gave a promising optimized result with a conversion efficiency of 26.19%, a fill factor of 62.07%, a short-circuit current of 27.56 mA cm-2, and an open-circuit voltage of 0.94 V. Further studies from the Mott–Schottky slope showed that the average carrier concentration obtained from the C–V calculations is * 5.2 9 1016 cm-3. The simulation processes provide an essential guideline for the fabrication of highly efficient CZTS thin-film solar cell.
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Springer Science+Business
Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
1 Introduction Thin-film CZTS photovoltaic (PV) is well known to offer an economically promising means of harvesting solar energy. It stands out from other thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) because of its non-toxic and ecorich constituent elements. Besides, it has an optimal and direct bandgap of about 1.5 eV. Furthermore, it has a kesterite mineral structure and high absorption coefficient of over 104 cm-1 [1–5]. Practically, in 1997, this device was first fabricated with an efficiency of
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-020-04314-6
0.66% [6]. After that, a lot of experimental works have been done on enhancing the device performance [7, 8]. At present, the highest reported conversion efficiency of a single-junction CZTS TFPV measured under the global AM1.5 Spectrum at 25 °C was 11% [9, 10]. According to the Shockley–Queisser limit, this efficiency is below the 28% value predicted for this type of solar cell [11]. Since 1997, most of the CZTS TFSC were fabricated using solution-based film deposition approaches. Through the experimental works, the potential to support large-scale
J Mater Sci: Mater Electron
production has been established, and some of the problems limiting the efficiency of CZTS TFSC have been reported [8, 11]. Despite all these experimental processes, the efficiency of CZTS solar cells is still quite low. The low efficiency of CZTS TFPV has been ascribed to the low open-circuit voltage which primary has been attributed to some factors which include the non-ohmic back contact between the absorber layer and the back contac
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