Unveiling the Role of Ge in CZTSSe Solar Cells by Advanced Micro-To-Atom Scale Characterizations.

Cong, J; He, M; Jang, JS; Huang, J; Privat, K; Chen, Y-S; Li, J; Yang, L; Green, MA; Kim, JH; Cairney, JM; Hao, X

Unveiling the Role of Ge in CZTSSe Solar Cells by Advanced Micro-To-Atom Scale Characterizations.

Cong, J He, M Jang, JS Huang, J Privat, K Chen, Y-S Li, J Yang, L

Green, MA Kim, JH Cairney, JM Hao, X

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Publisher:: Wiley
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Adv Sci (Weinh), 2024, 11, (15), pp. e2305938
Issue Date:: 2024-04

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Cong, J
dc.contributor.author	He, M
dc.contributor.author	Jang, JS
dc.contributor.author	Huang, J
dc.contributor.author	Privat, K
dc.contributor.author	Chen, Y-S
dc.contributor.author	Li, J
dc.contributor.author	Yang, L https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0123-1540
dc.contributor.author	Green, MA
dc.contributor.author	Kim, JH
dc.contributor.author	Cairney, JM
dc.contributor.author	Hao, X
dc.date.accessioned	2024-08-06T01:35:57Z
dc.date.available	2024-08-06T01:35:57Z
dc.date.issued	2024-04
dc.identifier.citation	Adv Sci (Weinh), 2024, 11, (15), pp. e2305938
dc.identifier.issn	2198-3844
dc.identifier.issn	2198-3844
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/180039
dc.description.abstract	Kesterite is an earth-abundant energy material with high predicted power conversion efficiency, making it a sustainable and promising option for photovoltaics. However, a large open circuit voltage Voc deficit due to non-radiative recombination at intrinsic defects remains a major hurdle, limiting device performance. Incorporating Ge into the kesterite structure emerges as an effective approach for enhancing performance by manipulating defects and morphology. Herein, how different amounts of Ge affect the kesterite growth pathways through the combination of advanced microscopy characterization techniques are systematically investigated. The results demonstrate the significance of incorporating Ge during the selenization process of the CZTSSe thin film. At high temperature, the Ge incorporation effectively delays the selenization process due to the formation of a ZnSe layer on top of the metal alloys through decomposition of the Cu-Zn alloy and formation of Cu-Sn alloy, subsequently forming of Cu-Sn-Se phase. Such an effect is compounded by more Ge incorporation that further postpones kesterite formation. Furthermore, introducing Ge mitigates detrimental "horizontal" grain boundaries by increasing the grain size on upper layer. The Ge incorporation strategy discussed in this study holds great promise for improving device performance and grain quality in CZTSSe and other polycrystalline chalcogenide solar cells.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Wiley
dc.relation.ispartof	Adv Sci (Weinh)
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1002/advs.202305938
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Unveiling the Role of Ge in CZTSSe Solar Cells by Advanced Micro-To-Atom Scale Characterizations.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	11
utslib.location.activity	Germany
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CGT - Centre for Green Technology
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2024-08-06T01:35:51Z
pubs.issue	15
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	11
utslib.citation.issue	15

Abstract:

Kesterite is an earth-abundant energy material with high predicted power conversion efficiency, making it a sustainable and promising option for photovoltaics. However, a large open circuit voltage Voc deficit due to non-radiative recombination at intrinsic defects remains a major hurdle, limiting device performance. Incorporating Ge into the kesterite structure emerges as an effective approach for enhancing performance by manipulating defects and morphology. Herein, how different amounts of Ge affect the kesterite growth pathways through the combination of advanced microscopy characterization techniques are systematically investigated. The results demonstrate the significance of incorporating Ge during the selenization process of the CZTSSe thin film. At high temperature, the Ge incorporation effectively delays the selenization process due to the formation of a ZnSe layer on top of the metal alloys through decomposition of the Cu-Zn alloy and formation of Cu-Sn alloy, subsequently forming of Cu-Sn-Se phase. Such an effect is compounded by more Ge incorporation that further postpones kesterite formation. Furthermore, introducing Ge mitigates detrimental "horizontal" grain boundaries by increasing the grain size on upper layer. The Ge incorporation strategy discussed in this study holds great promise for improving device performance and grain quality in CZTSSe and other polycrystalline chalcogenide solar cells.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/180039