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(NH4)2S-induced improvement of CdS buffer layer for 15.52% efficiency solution-processed CIGS solar cell

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Abstract

Heterojunction interfacial engineering plays a crucial role for the CIGS efficiency promotion. Chemical bath deposition (CBD) prepared CdS is the most preferred buffer for CIGS solar cells. Hence, manipulating the CdS properties to further boost heterojunction quality is a promising way to achieve higher efficiency CIGS solar cells. In this work, CdS buffer layer was modified by (NH4)2S (AS-treatment) solutions. The results showed that after AS treatment, the impurities on CdS film were cleaned and the S vacancy was passivated. Moreover, it introduced larger build-in electric field, wider depletion width and less interface defect densities, which contributed to suppressed interface recombination and more efficient carrier separation and collection. Consequently, the CIGS solar cell based on AS-treatment achieved champion efficiency of 15.52%, with improved VOC of 643 mV and FF of 73.3%.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files. It will be made available on request.

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Funding

This study is supported by scientific Research Foundation from North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (Grant No. 4001/40510), the National Natural. Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51802081, 62074052, 61974173, 62104061 and 52072327).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, China

    Xia Wang

  2. Key Lab for Special Functional Materials, Ministryof Education, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for High-Efficiency Display and Lighting Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China

    Yang Li, Qianqian Gao, Jun Kong, Shengjie Yuan & Sixin Wu

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  1. Xia Wang
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  2. Yang Li
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Contributions

The manuscript was written through contribution of all authors. All authors have approval to the final version of the manuscript. XW: experiments, characterization, writing—original draft. YL: discussion, EQE measurement. QG: discussion, EIS measurement. JK: data analyses, discussion and review. SY: supervision, discussion, writing—review & editing. SW: discussion and data analyses.

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Correspondence to Jun Kong or Shengjie Yuan.

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Wang, X., Li, Y., Gao, Q. et al. (NH4)2S-induced improvement of CdS buffer layer for 15.52% efficiency solution-processed CIGS solar cell. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 1680 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11097-z

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