Back Contact Engineering to Improve CZTSSe Solar Cell Performance by Inserting MoO 3 Sacrificial Nanolayers

Cheng-Ying Chen, Septia Kholimatussadiah, Wei-Chao Chen, Yi-Rung Lin, Jia-Wei Lin, Po-Tuan Chen, Ruei-San Chen, Kuei-Hsien Chen and Li-Chyong Chen
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Cheng-Ying Chen: Department of Optoelectronics and Materials Technology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung City 202301, Taiwan
Septia Kholimatussadiah: Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Wei-Chao Chen: Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Yi-Rung Lin: Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Jia-Wei Lin: Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Po-Tuan Chen: Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Ruei-San Chen: Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Kuei-Hsien Chen: Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Li-Chyong Chen: Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-11

Abstract: Earth-abundant Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) is a promising nontoxic alternative compound for commercially available Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 thin-film solar cells. In this study, a MoO 3 nanolayer was applied as a sacrificial layer to optimize the quality of the interface between the CZTSSe and Mo back contact. MoO 3 nanolayers can greatly improve CZTSSe grain growth and suppress the formation of some harmful secondary phases, especially the undesirable MoS(e) 2 . In terms of device performance, the series resistance was reduced from 1.83 to 1.54 Ω·cm 2 , and the fill factor was significantly enhanced from 42.67% to 52.12%. Additionally, MoO 3 nanolayers improved CZTSSe absorber quality by lowering the defect energy levels from 228 to 148 meV. Furthermore, first-principles calculations demonstrate that the partial sulfoselenized MoO 3 nanolayers may function as the ( p -type) hole-selective contacts at Mo/CZTSSe interfaces, leading to an overall improvement in device performance. Lastly, a CZTSSe solar cell with about 26% improvement (compared with reference cells) in power conversion efficiency was achieved by inserting 5 nm MoO 3 sacrificial layers.

Keywords: CZTSSe; Earth-abundant materials; back contacts; MoO 3; solar cells; hole-selective contacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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