<p>Recent advancements in thin-film photovoltaics aim to deliver affordable, sustainable energy solutions. Among these, Kesterite CZTS thin film solar cells have emerged as a highly promising material due to their abundance, non-toxicity, and suitable physical properties for solar energy applications. This study aims to explore the n-ZnO/n-CdS/p-CZTS/Mo configuration, focusing on optimizing the synthesis and performance of CZTS-based thin-film solar cells. By investigating material properties, device architecture, and simulation processes using SCAPS-1D, the research seeks to address the challenges and unlock the full potential of CZTS as a sustainable and efficient photovoltaic material. Optimization of the CZTS layer in n-ZnO/n-CdS/p-CZTS/Mo solar cells, focusing on the impact of layer thickness on device performance. The results indicate that a CZTS thickness of approximately 2 <InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="11082_2025_8280_Article_IEq1.gif" Format="GIF" Height="12" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="26" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$\mu \text {m}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mrow> <mi>μ</mi> <mtext>m</mtext> </mrow> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation> maximizes the fill factor at FF= 67.52 %  while thicknesses beyond this value decrease performance due to increased recombination losses. The power conversion efficiency peaks at a CZTS thickness of 4<InlineEquation ID="IEq2"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="11082_2025_8280_Article_IEq2.gif" Format="GIF" Height="13" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="19" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$-$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mo>-</mo> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>4.5 <InlineEquation ID="IEq3"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="11082_2025_8280_Article_IEq1.gif" Format="GIF" Height="12" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="26" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$\mu \text {m}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mrow> <mi>μ</mi> <mtext>m</mtext> </mrow> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, with the highest recorded power conversion efficiency being PCE=13.91 %İt is within this optimal thickness range that light is absorbed and charge carriers are collected, but further increases in thickness result in diminished returns due to series resistance or recombination. Additionally, the doping concentration of the CdS buffer layer significantly influences device performance, with an optimal CdS donor concentration of around 2.8E+17 <InlineEquation ID="IEq4"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="11082_2025_8280_Article_IEq4.gif" Format="GIF" Height="16" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="38" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$\textrm{cm}^{-3}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msup> <mtext>cm</mtext> <mrow> <mo>-</mo> <mn>3</mn> </mrow> </msup> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation> resulting in the highest power conversion efficiency of PCE = 14.19 %Ṫhese findings provide important insights into designing and fabricating high-efficiency CZTS-based solar cells.</p>

Investigation of buffer and absorber layer performance variations in ZnO/CdS/CZTS/Mo thin film solar cells using SCAPS-1D

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发表日期：

2025年6月9日

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Mohammed Zebach,
hemmani Abderrahmane,
Hamid Khachab

摘要

Recent advancements in thin-film photovoltaics aim to deliver affordable, sustainable energy solutions. Among these, Kesterite CZTS thin film solar cells have emerged as a highly promising material due to their abundance, non-toxicity, and suitable physical properties for solar energy applications. This study aims to explore the n-ZnO/n-CdS/p-CZTS/Mo configuration, focusing on optimizing the synthesis and performance of CZTS-based thin-film solar cells. By investigating material properties, device architecture, and simulation processes using SCAPS-1D, the research seeks to address the challenges and unlock the full potential of CZTS as a sustainable and efficient photovoltaic material. Optimization of the CZTS layer in n-ZnO/n-CdS/p-CZTS/Mo solar cells, focusing on the impact of layer thickness on device performance. The results indicate that a CZTS thickness of approximately 2 $\mu \text {m}$ $μ m$ maximizes the fill factor at FF= 67.52 % while thicknesses beyond this value decrease performance due to increased recombination losses. The power conversion efficiency peaks at a CZTS thickness of 4 $-$ $-$ 4.5 $\mu \text {m}$ $μ m$ , with the highest recorded power conversion efficiency being PCE=13.91 %İt is within this optimal thickness range that light is absorbed and charge carriers are collected, but further increases in thickness result in diminished returns due to series resistance or recombination. Additionally, the doping concentration of the CdS buffer layer significantly influences device performance, with an optimal CdS donor concentration of around 2.8E+17 $\textrm{cm}^{-3}$ ${cm}^{- 3}$ resulting in the highest power conversion efficiency of PCE = 14.19 %Ṫhese findings provide important insights into designing and fabricating high-efficiency CZTS-based solar cells.