Lattice-matched Cu2ZnSnS4/CeO2 solar cell with open circuit voltage boost

Abstract

We report a reproducible enhancement of the open circuit voltage in Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells by introduction of a very thin CeO2 interlayer between the Cu2ZnSnS4 absorber and the conventional CdS buffer. CeO2, a non-toxic earth-abundant compound, has a nearly optimal band alignment with Cu2ZnSnS4 and the two materials are lattice-matched within 0.4%. This makes it possible to achieve an epitaxial interface when growing CeO2 by chemical bath deposition at temperatures as low as 50 °C. The open circuit voltage improvement is then attributed to a decrease in the interface recombination rate through formation of a high-quality heterointerface.