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Optical and photovoltaic properties of vacuum-evaporated CZTSe, CAZTSe, and AZTSe thin films: a comparative study

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Abstract

In this work, we analyzed the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of vacuum-evaporated Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTSe), CuAgZnSnS4 (CAZTSe), and Ag2ZnSnS4 (AZTSe) thin films. The structural analysis confirms the presence of tetragonal-structured CZTSe and showed peak shift toward the lower angle for CAZTSe and AZTSe films. Raman spectra indicate the presence of SnSe (at 140 cm−1), ZnSe (at 255 cm−1), and CuSe (at 280 cm−1) as secondary phases. The EDS analysis is evidenced for the presence of Cu, Ag, Zn, Sn, and Se signals with Zn- and Sn-rich condition. SEM images picturized the spherical-shaped particles rich with irregular-shaped particles. Among the films, CAZTSe showed good optical absorption behavior in the visible region. CZTSe shows p-type conductivity, while the CAZTSe and AZTSe films show n-type conductivity as identified by Hall Effect analysis. The CAZTSe film exhibited higher mobility which is good for photovoltaic applications. FTO/CZTSe/AZTSe/Ag and FTO/CZTSe/CAZTSe/Ag solar cells were fabricated and its Photoconversion Efficiency (PCE) is studied.

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Acknowledgements

The author J. Henry acknowledges his sincere thanks to the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, India, for providing financial support through Basic Scientific Research (BSR) (award letter No.: F.25-1/2013-14 (BSR)/7- 305/2010(BSR)) fellowship. The author K. Mohanraj acknowledges for DST-SERB-EMR for providing analytical facilities to his research laboratory. The authors are thankful to the DST-FIST, UGC-SAP, and RUSA-MHRD New Delhi for providing the financial support to the Department of Physics, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, india. The authors are grateful to V.V. College of Engineering, Tisaiyanvilai, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India, for recording UV−visible analysis. The authors are grateful to SAIF-IIT Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, for Raman analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, 627 012, India

    J. Henry & K. Mohanraj

  2. Centralised Instrumentation and Service Laboratory (CISL), Department of Physics, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, 608 002, India

    G. Sivakumar

  3. Department of Physics, Fodhdhoo School, Fodhdhoo, 04120, Noonu Atoll, Republic of Maldives

    R. Vettumperumal

  4. Hindustan College of Science and Technology, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India

    T. Senthil Siva Subramanian

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Henry, J., Sivakumar, G., Vettumperumal, R. et al. Optical and photovoltaic properties of vacuum-evaporated CZTSe, CAZTSe, and AZTSe thin films: a comparative study. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 32, 20259–20272 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-06529-7

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