A progress review on the modification of CZTS(e)-based thin-film solar cells

Abstract

The increasing demand for energy in recent decades due to rapid industrial and population growth has resulted in a heavy dependence on non-renewable energy which leads to environmental problems. Solar energy has emerged as a promising candidate for renewable energy because its sources are unlimited and do not produce pollutants that damage the environment. Among the different kind of solar cells, CZTS(e) solar cells have the advantage of reaching the Shockley–Queisser limit (SQL) of 30.9% with low production costs, non-toxicity, and abundance of constituent elements. However, the current performance of CZTS(e) solar cells is still below the commercial performance standard of at least 20%. This review comprehensively addresses the limiting factors that prevent CZTS(e) solar cells from achieving commercial grade performance. The phenomenon behind the problem will be independently highlighted and explained how it affects performance. Then, various solving methods specific to each problem that have been carried out during the manufacturing process will be discussed. At the end of this review article, a comprehensive summary and view of the possible future prospects for the manufacture of high-efficiency CZTS(e) solar cells are provided.