Effect of Magnesium Incorporation on Solution-Processed Kesterite Solar Cells

Caballero, R.; Haass, Stefan G.; Andrés, Christian; Arqués, Laia; Oliva, Florian; Izquierdo‐Roca, Víctor; Romanyuk, Yaroslav E.

doi:10.3389/fchem.2018.00005

Cited by 26 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Regarding solar cells with Mg incorporation, Cu 2 Zn 1-x Mg x Sn(S,Se) 4 absorber layers with variable Mg concentration x=0K1 were deposited using the solution approach [76]. For heavy Mg alloying with x=0.55K1 the phase separation of Cu 2 SnSe 3 , MgSe 2 , MgSe and SnSe 2 occurs in agreement with literature predictions [64], whereas a lower Mg concentration of x=0.04 resulted in the kesterite phase.…”

Section: Group II Elementssupporting

confidence: 73%

“…An apparent carrier concentration of 1×10 16 cm −3 was measured for Mg-doped kesterite solar cell device, confirming the p-type conductivity. Raman spectroscopy indicated that structural defects can be reduced in Mg-containing absorbers as compared to the dopant-free reference samples, resulting in the highest device efficiency of 7.2% for a Mg-doped cell measured in [76].…”

Section: Group II Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Doping and alloying of kesterites

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Attempts to improve the efficiency of kesterite solar cells by changing the intrinsic stoichiometry have not helped to boost the device efficiency beyond the current record of 12.6%. In this light, the addition of extrinsic elements to the Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 matrix in various quantities has emerged as a popular topic aiming to ameliorate electronic properties of the solar cell absorbers. This article reviews extrinsic doping and alloying concepts for kesterite absorbers with the focus on those that do not alter the parent zinc-blende derived kesterite structure. The latest state-of-the-art of possible extrinsic elements is presented in the order of groups of the periodic table. The highest reported solar cell efficiencies for each extrinsic dopant are tabulated at the end. Several dopants like alkali elements and substitutional alloying with Ag, Cd or Ge have been shown to improve the device performance of kesterite solar cells as compared to the nominally undoped references, although it is often difficult to differentiate between pure electronic effects and other possible influences such as changes in the crystallization path, deviations in matrix composition and presence of alkali dopants coming from the substrates. The review is concluded with a suggestion to intensify efforts for identifying intrinsic defects that negatively affect electronic properties of the kesterite absorbers, and, if identified, to test extrinsic strategies that may compensate these defects. Characterization techniques must be developed and widely used to reliably access semiconductor absorber metrics such as the quasi-Fermi level splitting, defect concentration and their energetic position, and carrier lifetime in order to assist in search for effective doping/alloying strategies.

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Section: Group II Elementssupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Group II Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doping and alloying of kesterites

et al. 2019

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“…Finally, the correlation of the results from Raman spectroscopy with the optoelectronic properties of kesterite-based solar cells allowed analyzing the factors limiting the performance of the devices [68,92,110,116]. The assessment of the defects by means of Raman spectroscopy resulted in experimental evidence of the effect of the Cu-substitutional defects on the optoelectronic properties, especially on open circuit voltage [116].…”

Section: Assessment Of Kesterite Properties and Solar Cell Performancmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This has been attributed to changes in the V Cu and Zn Sn point defect concentrations in the absorber surface (<20 nm), which have a strong impact on the final optoelectronics properties of solar cell devices [106]. On the other hand, the correlation of Raman spectra changes with the optoelectronic properties also yielded an understanding of the effect of small Cu cations substitution by Mg in CZTSe-based solar cells [92].…”

Section: Assessment Of Kesterite Properties and Solar Cell Performancmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, Raman spectroscopy has become a widely used technique for the confirmation of quaternary phase formation, as in the case of its application in solar cell devices [84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92], as well as for further fundamental material analysis [93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100]. The increased popularity of Raman spectroscopy for the assessment of kesterite-type quaternary compounds, as well as of other inorganic materials, is mostly due to the strong increase in the usability and versatility of Raman systems and low qualification requirements for the general spectra analysis.…”

Section: Assessment Of Kesterite Properties and Solar Cell Performancmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Point defects, compositional fluctuations, and secondary phases in non-stoichiometric kesterites

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The efficiency of kesterite-based solar cells is limited by various non-ideal recombination paths, amongst others by a high density of defect states and by the presence of binary or ternary secondary phases within the absorber layer. Pronounced compositional variations and secondary phase segregation are indeed typical features of non-stoichiometric kesterite materials. Certainly kesterite-based thin film solar cells with an offstoichiometric absorber layer composition, especially Cu-poor/Zn-rich, achieved the highest efficiencies, but deviations from the stoichiometric composition lead to the formation of intrinsic point defects (vacancies, anti-sites, and interstitials) in the kesterite-type material. In addition, a non-stoichiometric composition is usually associated with the formation of an undesirable side phase (secondary phases). Thus the correlation between off-stoichiometry and intrinsic point defects as well as the identification and quantification of secondary phases and compositional fluctuations in non-stoichiometric kesterite materials is of great importance for the understanding and rational design of solar cell devices. This paper summarizes the latest achievements in the investigation of identification and quantification of intrinsic point defects, compositional fluctuations, and secondary phases in non-stoichiometric kesterite-type materials.This work focuses on structural variations in kesterite-type compound semiconductors, in particular Cu/Zn disorder and intrinsic point defects, as well as on compositional variations, in particular stoichiometry deviations in the kesterite-type phase and the segregation of related binary and ternary phases.This review provides the vital approaches by discussing results and trends concerning intrinsic point defects and structural disorder, compositional fluctuations, and secondary phases on a macroscopic and microscopic scale and even on the nano-scale. Various analytical methods have been used in these studies.The review comprises five parts:A. Crystal structure, structural disorder, and intrinsic point defects in kesterites B. Raman spectroscopy investigations on kesterites OPEN ACCESS RECEIVED

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Progress and Perspectives of Thin Film Kesterite Photovoltaic Technology: A Critical Review

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The latest progress and future perspectives of thin film photovoltaic kesterite technology are reviewed herein. Kesterite is currently the most promising emerging fully inorganic thin film photovoltaic technology based on critical raw-material-free and sustainable solutions. The positioning of kesterites in the frame of the emerging inorganic solar cells is first addressed, and the recent history of this family of materials briefly described. A review of the fast progress achieved earlier this decade is presented, toward the relative slowdown in the recent years partly explained by the large opencircuit voltage (V OC ) deficit recurrently observed even in the best solar cell devices in the literature. Then, through a comparison with the close cousin Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 technology, doping and alloying strategies are proposed as critical for enhancing the conversion efficiency of kesterite. In the second section herein, intrinsic and extrinsic doping, as well as alloying strategies are reviewed, presenting the most relevant and recent results, and proposing possible pathways for future implementation. In the last section, a review on technological applications of kesterite is presented, going beyond conventional photovoltaic devices, and demonstrating their suitability as potential candidates in advanced tandem concepts, photocatalysis, thermoelectric, gas sensing, etc.Kesterite Photovoltaics He has supervised ten Ph.D. theses in the photovoltaic field. He is currently the coordinator of the research and innovation H2020 project STARCELL (www.starcell.eu), and the RISE (Marie Curie) project INFINITE-CELL (www.infinite-cell.eu).the V OC deficit for bandgaps close to 1.0 or 1.5 eV are comparable, and one can consider that kesterite is reasonably close to the state of the art of chalcopyrite materials in that range. But, while for kesterite the V OC deficit increases almost monotonically with the bandgap, it is markedly reduced for intermediate

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Effect of Magnesium Incorporation on Solution-Processed Kesterite Solar Cells

Cited by 26 publications

References 21 publications

Doping and alloying of kesterites

Doping and alloying of kesterites

Point defects, compositional fluctuations, and secondary phases in non-stoichiometric kesterites

Progress and Perspectives of Thin Film Kesterite Photovoltaic Technology: A Critical Review

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