We report on bandgap engineering of an emerging photovoltaic material of Cu2CdxZn1−xSnS4 (CCZTS) alloy. CCZTS alloy thin films with different Cd contents and single kesterite phase were fabricated using the sol-gel method. The optical absorption measurements indicate that the bandgap of the kesterite CCZTS alloy can be continuously tuned in a range of 1.55–1.09 eV as Cd content varied from x = 0 to 1. Hall effect measurements suggest that the hole concentration of CCZTS films decreases with increasing Cd content. The CCZTS-based solar cell with x = 0.47 demonstrates a power conversion efficiency of 1.2%. Our first-principles calculations based on the hybrid functional method demonstrate that the bandgap of the kesterite CCZTS alloy decreases monotonically with increasing Cd content, supporting the experimental results. Furthermore, Cu2ZnSnS4/Cu2CdSnS4 interface has a type-I band-alignment with a small valence-band offset, explaining the narrowing of the bandgap of CCZTS as the Cd content increases. Our results suggest that CCZTS alloy is a potentially suitable material to fabricate high-efficiency multi-junction tandem solar cells with different bandgap-tailored absorption layers.
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14 November 2013
Research Article|
November 11 2013
Bandgap engineering of Cu2CdxZn1−xSnS4 alloy for photovoltaic applications: A complementary experimental and first-principles study
Zhen-Yu Xiao;
Zhen-Yu Xiao
1
Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics, Jilin University
, Changchun 130012, China
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Yong-Feng Li;
Yong-Feng Li
a)
1
Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics, Jilin University
, Changchun 130012, China
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Bin Yao;
Bin Yao
a)
2
State Key Laboratory of Superhard Material and College of Physics, Jilin University
, Changchun 130012, China
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Rui Deng;
Rui Deng
3
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology
, Changchun 130022, China
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Zhan-Hui Ding;
Zhan-Hui Ding
2
State Key Laboratory of Superhard Material and College of Physics, Jilin University
, Changchun 130012, China
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Tom Wu;
Tom Wu
4
Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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Gang Yang;
Gang Yang
1
Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics, Jilin University
, Changchun 130012, China
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Chun-Ran Li;
Chun-Ran Li
1
Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics, Jilin University
, Changchun 130012, China
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Zi-Yuan Dong;
Zi-Yuan Dong
1
Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics, Jilin University
, Changchun 130012, China
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Lei Liu;
Lei Liu
5
State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
, No.3888 Dongnanhu Road, Changchun 130033, China
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Li-Gong Zhang;
Li-Gong Zhang
5
State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
, No.3888 Dongnanhu Road, Changchun 130033, China
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Hai-Feng Zhao
Hai-Feng Zhao
5
State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
, No.3888 Dongnanhu Road, Changchun 130033, China
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a)
Electronic addresses: [email protected] and [email protected]
J. Appl. Phys. 114, 183506 (2013)
Article history
Received:
August 18 2013
Accepted:
October 22 2013
Citation
Zhen-Yu Xiao, Yong-Feng Li, Bin Yao, Rui Deng, Zhan-Hui Ding, Tom Wu, Gang Yang, Chun-Ran Li, Zi-Yuan Dong, Lei Liu, Li-Gong Zhang, Hai-Feng Zhao; Bandgap engineering of Cu2CdxZn1−xSnS4 alloy for photovoltaic applications: A complementary experimental and first-principles study. J. Appl. Phys. 14 November 2013; 114 (18): 183506. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4829457
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