CZTS thin film solar cells

The science behind the research

Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) materials have direct band gap energies ranging from 1.0 eV to 1.5 eV and high absorption coefficients (>104 cm−1), which make them a feasible option for photovoltaic thin film technologies. Compared to CIGS, CZTS-based materials consist of earth-abundant elements and represent promising candidates for low-cost and high-efficiency thin film solar cells.  A cutting edge Electrostatic Assisted Vapour Deposition (ESAVD) method has been developed to obtain high efficiency CZTS thin films with high uniformity and no secondary phases under non-vacuum conditions.

Ongoing research

Our most recent results have shown that CZTS solar cells fabricated by ESAVD can reach  efficiency of 6.5%. This has been achieved by optimizing the processing steps and by incorporating alkaline metal ions in appropriate amounts.

Fig 1. SEM cross section of CZTS solar cell

Fig 2. IV curve for CZTS solar cells

Recent publications

• Nazligul, A. S., Wang, M., & Choy, K. L. (2020). Recent development in earth-abundant kesterite materials and their applications. Sustainability, 12, (12) 5138. doi:10.3390/su12125138
• Liu, J. P., Choy, K. L., Placidi, M.,  López-García J., Saucedo, E., Colombara D., & Robert, E. (2015). Fabrication and characterization of kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films deposited by electrostatic spray assisted vapour deposition method. Physica Status Solidi A, 212, (1), 135-139. doi: 10.1002/pssa.201431374

Conference presentations

• Altamura, G., Wang, M., & Choy, K.L. (2015). Environmentally friendly and non-vacuum Electrostatic Spray Assisted Vapor Deposited Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ using different non-toxic solvents. EMRS Spring meeting 2015. Lille, France.