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Fabrication of Vacuum Evaporated (Cu1-xAgx)2ZnSnSe4 Thin-film Photovoltaic Devices and its Photoconversion Efficiency

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Abstract

In this work, Ag-doped Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) thin films were deposited on FTO substrate by thermal evaporation method. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the (Cu1-xAgx)2ZnSnSe4 thin films were analyzed. The XRD analysis shows tetragonal crystal structure for CZTSe thin films, and the peak shift reveals the incorporation of the Ag into CZTSe crystal structure. Raman spectra show the presence of binary phases. SEM images show irregular shaped particles, and EDS spectra show non-stoichiometric nature. The optical spectra reveal good optical absorption in the visible region, and it is increased for Ag-doped films. Hall effect analysis shows p-type conductivity for CZTSe, whereas Ag-doped CZTSe sample provokes n-type conductivity. The result is also supported by the Mott–Schottky plots. The film x = 0.5 Ag doping concentration exhibits higher band bending in the dark which is essential for increasing Voc of the photoelectrochemical cell. The carrier concentration is found to be 1018 –1020 cm−3 for (Cu1-xAgx)2ZnSnSe4 thin films. The photoelectrochemical performance of the films was analyzed. Among the films, x = 0.5 Ag-doped film shows 3.02% photoconversion efficiency (PCE). The solar cells Glass/FTO/(Cu1−xAgx)2ZnSnSe4/Cu2ZnSnSe4/Ag were fabricated, and their PCE has been analyzed.

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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). 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.

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

    J. Henry & K. Mohanraj

  2. Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology Manipur, Langol, Imphal, 795004, Manipur, India

    S. Nagarajan

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

    G. Sivakumar

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Henry, J., Nagarajan, S., Sivakumar, G. et al. Fabrication of Vacuum Evaporated (Cu1-xAgx)2ZnSnSe4 Thin-film Photovoltaic Devices and its Photoconversion Efficiency. Arab J Sci Eng 48, 291–309 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-022-06982-4

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