Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/1942/19157
Title: | KCN Chemical Etch for Interface Engineering in Cu2ZnSnSe4 Solar Cells | Authors: | Buffiere, Marie BRAMMERTZ, Guy Sahayaraj, Sylvester Batuk, Maria Khelifi, Samira Mangin, Denis El Mel, Abdel-Aziz Arzel, Ludovic Hadermann, Joke MEURIS, Marc POORTMANS, Jef |
Issue Date: | 2015 | Publisher: | AMER CHEMICAL SOC | Source: | ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, 7 (27), p. 14690-14698 | Abstract: | The removal of secondary phases from the surface of the kesterite crystals is one of the major challenges to improve the performances of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)(4) (CZTSSe) thin film solar cells. In this Contribution, the KCN/KOH Chemical etching approach, originally developed for the removal of CuxSe phases in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)(2) thin films) is applied to CZTSe absorbers exhibiting various chemical compositions. Two distinct electrical behaviors were observed on CZTSe/CdS solar cells after treatment: (i) the improvement of the fill factor (FF) after 30 s of etching for the CZTSe absorbers showing initially a distortion of the electrical characteristic; (ii) the progressive degradation Of the FF after long treatment time for all Cu-poor CZTSe solar cell samples. The first effect can be attributed to the action of KCN on the absorber, that is found to clean the absorber free surface from most of the secondary phases surrounding the kesterite grains (e.g., Se-0, CuxSe, SnSex, SnO2, Cu2SnSe3 phases, excepting the ZnSe-based phases). The second observation was identified as a consequence of the preferential etching of Se, Sn, and Zn from the CZTSe surface by the KOH solution, combined with the modification of the alkali content of the absorber. The formation of a Cu-rich shell at the absorber/buffer layer interface, leading to the increase of the recombination rate at the interface, and the increase in the doping of the absorber layer after etching are found to be at the origin of the deterioration of the FF of the solar cells. | Notes: | [Buffiere, Marie; Poortmans, Jef] IMEC, Partner Solliance, B-3001 Louvain, Belgium. [Buffiere, Marie; Sahayaraj, Sylvester; Poortmans, Jef] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Dept Elect Engn ESAT, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium. [El Mel, Abdel-Aziz; Arzel, Ludovic] Univ Nantes, CNRS, Inst Mat Jean Rouxel, F-44322 Nantes 3, France. [Brammertz, Guy; Sahayaraj, Sylvester; Meuris, Marc; Poortmans, Jef] IMOMEC Partner Solliance, Imec Div, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium. [Brammertz, Guy; Sahayaraj, Sylvester; Meuris, Marc] Hasselt Univ, Inst Mat Res IMO, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium. [Batuk, Maria; Hadermann, Joke] Univ Antwerp, Electron Microscopy Mat Sci EMAT, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium. [Khelifi, Samira] Univ Ghent, Elect & Informat Syst Dept ELIS, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. [Mangin, Denis] Univ Lorraine, Inst Jean Lamour, F-54011 Nancy, France. [Buffiere, Marie] Qatar Fdn, Qatar Environm & Energy Res Inst, Doha, Qatar. | Keywords: | kesterite; CZTSe; KCN; surface; selective etching; photovoltaic;kesterite; CZTSe; KCN; surface; selective etching; photovoltaic | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/19157 | ISSN: | 1944-8244 | e-ISSN: | 1944-8252 | DOI: | 10.1021/acsami.5b02122 | ISI #: | 000358395200019 | Rights: | © 2015 American Chemical Society | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution | Validations: | ecoom 2016 |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
acsami%2E5b02122.pdf Restricted Access | 4.62 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open Request a copy |
SCOPUSTM
Citations
34
checked on Sep 2, 2020
WEB OF SCIENCETM
Citations
59
checked on Oct 14, 2024
Page view(s)
82
checked on Apr 26, 2023
Download(s)
50
checked on Apr 26, 2023
Google ScholarTM
Check
Altmetric
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.