SnS thin films were fabricated using a co-evaporation method, and the optimization of SnS thin films in terms of substrate temperature and the dependence of their properties on Sn/S ratio were investigated. The substrate temperature was adjusted in the range of 250-350 °C. On the other hand, the SnS thin films with Sn/S compositional ratios of 0.88-1.28 were fabricated. The resulting SnS films were then used to fabricate solar cells with the structure glass/Mo/SnS/CdS/ZnO:Al/Al. It was found that the optimal substrate temperature for SnS thin films was 300 °C. The highest performance was obtained for solar cells containing a SnS thin film with a Sn/S ratio that was slightly lower than the stoichiometric value.
The binary compound SnS consists of elements that are non‐toxic, inexpensive, and abundant in the Earth's crust. It is a p‐type semiconductor with a band gap energy of 1.3 eV and an absorption coefficient of 104 cm−1, and is therefore a potential candidate for use as a solar cell absorber material. In this study, SLG/Mo/SnS/CdS/ZnO:Al/Al and SLG/Mo/SnS/ZnO/ZnO:Al/Al SnS thin‐film solar cells with different buffer layers were fabricated using a co‐evaporation method. The dependence of the photovoltaic properties of the SnS thin‐film solar cells with CdS or ZnO as the buffer layer was investigated. We demonstrate that the device with a ZnO buffer layer exhibited higher conversion efficiency and short‐circuit current density compared to the device with a CdS buffer layer.
Cu2Sn1−xGexS3 (CTGS) thin films were prepared by co‐evaporation of Cu, Sn, and S to form Cu2SnS3 (CTS) precursors, which were then annealed at 570 °C in an atmosphere composed of N2, GeS2, and S vapor. The films were then used to fabricate photovoltaic cells with the structure glass/Mo/CTGS/CdS/ZnO:Al/Al. A cell with a film composition of Cu2(Sn0.86Ge0.14)S3 fabricated from slightly Cu‐rich CTS (Cu/Sn = 2.07) exhibited a conversion efficiency of 3.4% and an open‐circuit voltage of 0.29 V. The band gap based on the external quantum efficiency was estimated to be approximately 1.0 eV. The open‐circuit voltage was found to be larger than that for a CTS thin film solar cell and increased with band gap energy.
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