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Carbon-free Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 film prepared via a non-hydrazine route

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Abstract

The kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) is an ideal candidate for light harvesting materials in earth-abundant low-cost thin-film solar cells (TFSC). Although the solution-based processing is a most promising approach to achieve low-cost solar cells with high power conversion efficiency, the issues of poor crystallinity and carbon residue in CZTSSe thin films are still challenging. Herein, a non-hydrazine solution-based method was reported to fabricate highly crystallized and carbon-free kesterite CZTSSe thin films. Interestingly, it was found that the synthetic atmosphere of metal organic precursors have a dramatic impact on the morphology and crystallinity of CZTSSe films. By optimizing the processing parameters, we were able to obtain a kesterite CZTSSe film composed of compact large crystal grains with trace carbon residues. Also, a viable reactive ion etching (RIE) processing with optimized etching conditions was then developed to successfully eliminate trace carbon residues on the surface of the CZTSSe film.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology; Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    YuGang Zou, Jie Liu, Xing Zhang, Yan Jiang, JinSong Hu & Li-Jun Wan

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  1. YuGang Zou
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  2. Jie Liu
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  3. Xing Zhang
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  4. Yan Jiang
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  5. JinSong Hu
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  6. Li-Jun Wan
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Correspondence to JinSong Hu or Li-Jun Wan.

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Zou, Y., Liu, J., Zhang, X. et al. Carbon-free Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 film prepared via a non-hydrazine route. Sci. China Chem. 57, 1552–1558 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-014-5145-4

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