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Optical designs that improve the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se) 4 solar cells

Publication ,  Journal Article
Winkler, MT; Wang, W; Gunawan, O; Hovel, HJ; Todorov, TK; Mitzi, DB
Published in: Energy and Environmental Science
March 1, 2014

We present an optical-design approach that improves the short-circuit current and efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells by tuning the thickness of the upper-device layers in order to maximize transmission into the CZTSSe absorber. The design approach combines optical modeling of idealized planar devices with a semi-empirical approach for treating the impact of surface roughness. Experimentally, we demonstrate that the new device architecture - which emphasizes thinner CdS and transparent-conducting layers - increases short-circuit current by about 10% in champion-caliber devices. These improvements are directly realized in the power-conversion efficiencies of CZTSSe devices, resulting in a certified improvement in the overall record power-conversion efficiency for CZTSSe from 11.1% to 12.0%. We also report comparable improvements for devices with band gaps in the range of 1.1-1.3 eV. © 2014 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

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Published In

Energy and Environmental Science

DOI

EISSN

1754-5706

ISSN

1754-5692

Publication Date

March 1, 2014

Volume

7

Issue

3

Start / End Page

1029 / 1036

Related Subject Headings

  • Energy
 

Citation

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Winkler, M. T., Wang, W., Gunawan, O., Hovel, H. J., Todorov, T. K., & Mitzi, D. B. (2014). Optical designs that improve the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se) 4 solar cells. Energy and Environmental Science, 7(3), 1029–1036. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3ee42541j
Winkler, M. T., W. Wang, O. Gunawan, H. J. Hovel, T. K. Todorov, and D. B. Mitzi. “Optical designs that improve the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se) 4 solar cells.” Energy and Environmental Science 7, no. 3 (March 1, 2014): 1029–36. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3ee42541j.
Winkler MT, Wang W, Gunawan O, Hovel HJ, Todorov TK, Mitzi DB. Optical designs that improve the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se) 4 solar cells. Energy and Environmental Science. 2014 Mar 1;7(3):1029–36.
Winkler, M. T., et al. “Optical designs that improve the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se) 4 solar cells.” Energy and Environmental Science, vol. 7, no. 3, Mar. 2014, pp. 1029–36. Scopus, doi:10.1039/c3ee42541j.
Winkler MT, Wang W, Gunawan O, Hovel HJ, Todorov TK, Mitzi DB. Optical designs that improve the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se) 4 solar cells. Energy and Environmental Science. 2014 Mar 1;7(3):1029–1036.
Journal cover image

Published In

Energy and Environmental Science

DOI

EISSN

1754-5706

ISSN

1754-5692

Publication Date

March 1, 2014

Volume

7

Issue

3

Start / End Page

1029 / 1036

Related Subject Headings

  • Energy