Defect physics of the kesterite thin-film solar cell absorber Cu 2 ZnSnS4

Shiyou Chen; X. G. Gong; Aron Walsh; Su Huai Wei

doi:10.1063/1.3275796

Defect physics of the kesterite thin-film solar cell absorber Cu ₂ ZnSnS₄

Shiyou Chen, X. G. Gong, Aron Walsh, Su Huai Wei

Department of Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

529 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cu₂ ZnSnS₄ is one of the most promising quaternary absorber materials for thin-film solar cells. Examination of the thermodynamic stability of this quaternary compound reveals that the stable chemical potential region for the formation of stoichiometric compound is small. Under these conditions, the dominant defect will be p -type CuZn antisite, which has an acceptor level deeper than the Cu vacancy. The dominant self-compensated defect pair in this quaternary compound is [Cu_Zn^- + Zn _Cu⁺]⁰, which leads to the formation of various polytype structures of Cu₂ ZnSnS₄. We propose that to maximize the solar cell performance, growth of Cu₂ ZnSnS₄ under Cu-poor/Zn-rich conditions will be optimal, if the precipitation of ZnS can be avoided by kinetic barriers.

Original language	English
Article number	021902
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	96
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3275796
State	Published - 2010

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The work in Fudan is supported by the National Sciences Foundation of China, the Basic Research Program of Shanghai, and the Special Funds for Major State Basic Research. A.W. would like to acknowledge funding of a Marie-Curie Fellowship from the European Union. The work at NREL is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308.

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10.1063/1.3275796

Cite this

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title = "Defect physics of the kesterite thin-film solar cell absorber Cu 2 ZnSnS4",

abstract = "Cu2 ZnSnS4 is one of the most promising quaternary absorber materials for thin-film solar cells. Examination of the thermodynamic stability of this quaternary compound reveals that the stable chemical potential region for the formation of stoichiometric compound is small. Under these conditions, the dominant defect will be p -type CuZn antisite, which has an acceptor level deeper than the Cu vacancy. The dominant self-compensated defect pair in this quaternary compound is [CuZn- + Zn Cu+]0, which leads to the formation of various polytype structures of Cu2 ZnSnS4. We propose that to maximize the solar cell performance, growth of Cu2 ZnSnS4 under Cu-poor/Zn-rich conditions will be optimal, if the precipitation of ZnS can be avoided by kinetic barriers.",

author = "Shiyou Chen and Gong, {X. G.} and Aron Walsh and Wei, {Su Huai}",

note = "Funding Information: The work in Fudan is supported by the National Sciences Foundation of China, the Basic Research Program of Shanghai, and the Special Funds for Major State Basic Research. A.W. would like to acknowledge funding of a Marie-Curie Fellowship from the European Union. The work at NREL is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308.",

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AU - Chen, Shiyou

AU - Gong, X. G.

AU - Walsh, Aron

AU - Wei, Su Huai

N1 - Funding Information: The work in Fudan is supported by the National Sciences Foundation of China, the Basic Research Program of Shanghai, and the Special Funds for Major State Basic Research. A.W. would like to acknowledge funding of a Marie-Curie Fellowship from the European Union. The work at NREL is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308.

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - Cu2 ZnSnS4 is one of the most promising quaternary absorber materials for thin-film solar cells. Examination of the thermodynamic stability of this quaternary compound reveals that the stable chemical potential region for the formation of stoichiometric compound is small. Under these conditions, the dominant defect will be p -type CuZn antisite, which has an acceptor level deeper than the Cu vacancy. The dominant self-compensated defect pair in this quaternary compound is [CuZn- + Zn Cu+]0, which leads to the formation of various polytype structures of Cu2 ZnSnS4. We propose that to maximize the solar cell performance, growth of Cu2 ZnSnS4 under Cu-poor/Zn-rich conditions will be optimal, if the precipitation of ZnS can be avoided by kinetic barriers.

AB - Cu2 ZnSnS4 is one of the most promising quaternary absorber materials for thin-film solar cells. Examination of the thermodynamic stability of this quaternary compound reveals that the stable chemical potential region for the formation of stoichiometric compound is small. Under these conditions, the dominant defect will be p -type CuZn antisite, which has an acceptor level deeper than the Cu vacancy. The dominant self-compensated defect pair in this quaternary compound is [CuZn- + Zn Cu+]0, which leads to the formation of various polytype structures of Cu2 ZnSnS4. We propose that to maximize the solar cell performance, growth of Cu2 ZnSnS4 under Cu-poor/Zn-rich conditions will be optimal, if the precipitation of ZnS can be avoided by kinetic barriers.

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