Flexible Cu<sub>2</sub>ZnSn(S,Se)<sub>4</sub> solar cells with over 10% efficiency and methods of enlarging the cell area.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31273214.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-10890-x and PMC identifier 6609618.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
For kesterite copper zinc tin sulfide/selenide (CZTSSe) solar cells to enter the market, in addition to efficiency improvements, the technological capability to produce flexible and large-area modules with homogeneous properties is necessary. Here, we report a greater than 10% efficiency for a cell area of approximately 0.5 cm<sup>2</sup> and a greater than 8% efficiency for a cell area larger than 2 cm<sup>2</sup> of certified flexible CZTSSe solar cells. By designing a thin and multi-layered precursor structure, the formation of defects and defect clusters, particularly tin-related donor defects, is controlled, and the open circuit voltage value is enhanced. Using statistical analysis, we verify that the cell-to-cell and within-cell uniformity characteristics are improved. This study reports the highest efficiency so far for flexible CZTSSe solar cells with small and large areas. These results also present methods for improving the efficiency and enlarging the cell area.
Medical subject headings
- Metals
- Solar Energy