Effects of Zn doping concentration on the optical and photovoltaic properties of ZnxPb1−xS thin film-based solar cell prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis

Abstract

The metal dopants in PbS thin films make a significant impact on its optical and electronic transport properties that make it useful for photovoltaic and other optoelectronic applications. The photovoltaic properties of Zn-doped nanostructured PbS thin films synthesized from zinc acetate, lead acetate, and thiourea as an absorber layer prepared using chemical spray pyrolysis were investigated. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible spectrophotometry techniques were used to obtain stoichiometry, thickness, structural, and optical properties of the thin films before fabrication of Zn-PbS/CdS solar cell. The RBS revealed the stoichiometry ratio as Zn x Pb 1−x S and thickness range of 189.05-251.64 (10 15 atoms/cm 2). The inclusion of the Zn dopant drastically reduced the concentration of lead from the initial 40.93-14.95%. Optical analysis of the films gave high optical absorption and relatively low reflectance from visible toward the NIR region. An increase in energy bandgap was observed with Zn dopants inclusion from 0.53 to 1.65 eV, which fits the path of the solar radiation for maximum absorption. Photovoltaic properties revealed from the J-V measurement confirmed that Zn-doped sample 6% ZnAcet thin film solar cell gave a maximum short-circuit current density (J sc) of 17.30 mA/cm 2 , open-circuit (V oc) 390 mV, fill factor (FF) 0.48, and conversion efficiency (η) of 2.7%.

Use of Anionic Surfactant Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate as a Capping Agent in Metal-Chalcogenide PbS Thin Film Production

“…Its relative density is 6.2 g/ml at 25 • C and melting point is 1170 • C. In addition, PbS is a naturally p-type semiconductor material, and its direct band gap can vary between 0.41 and 2.3 eV [5]. These properties of PbS metal-chalcogenide semiconductor compound make it prominent for solar absorption applications, infrared sensing applications, and gas sensor applications [6][7][8]. High-quality PbS thin films can be produced using a surfactant [5].…”

Fabrication of p-NiO/n-TiO2 Solar Device for Photovoltaic Application

“…Spin coating and spray pyrolysis are among the low-cost deposition techniques because they are simple and require low maintenance [10][11][12]. These two methods offer ease of film deposited, control of the coated area, and low equipment cost vital for cost reduction of the deposited film [13,14].…”