Author(s)

Md. Ferdous Wahid^*, Nowshad Ahmed, Md. Shahriar Rahman, Abdullah Al Mamun, Md. Nuralam Howlader, Md. Motiur Rahman Tareq

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh.

Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide (CZTS) solar cell (SC) has garnered significant attention from researchers in recent years owing to its affordability, less toxic earth abundant constituents, remarkable conversion efficiency and promising prospects for the bulk manufacture of thin film solar cells. Moreover, CZTS exhibits a high absorption coefficient and possesses an optimal adjustable direct band gap, making it a promising candidate for various photovoltaic applications. Hence, in this study, a new configuration (CuSbS₂/CZTS/CdS/i-ZnO/ Al: ZnO) is introduced for CZTS SC, which was simulated using SCAPS-1D. The utilization of CuSbS₂ as the back surface field (BSF) and CdS as the buffer layer was investigated to enhance the performance of CZTS SC. Moreover, a comparative numerical analysis was carried out to contrast the SC configurations of CZTS/CdS/i-ZnO/Al: ZnO and CuSbS₂/CZTS/CdS/i-ZnO/Al: ZnO. In this study, the impact on SC parameters such as open circuit voltage (V_oc), short- circuit current density (J_sc), Fill-factor (FF), and Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) by varying thickness, doping density, defect density of absorber and buffer layer, thickness and doping density of BSF, and operating temperature have been thoroughly investigated. The optimum structure consists of i-ZnO and Al: ZnO for the window layer, CdS for the buffer layer, CZTS for the absorber layer, and BSF layers with thicknesses of 50 nm, 200 nm, 50 nm, 2000 nm, and 50 nm, respectively. The designed SC with a BSF layer had a PCE of 28.76%, J_SC of 32.53 mA/cm², V_oc of 1.01233 V, and FF of 87.35%. The structure without a BSF layer has a PCE of 24.21%, V_oc of 0.898 V, J_SC of 31.56 mA/cm², and FF of 85.32%. Furthermore, an analysis of temperature, quantum efficiency (QE), C- V characteristics and the J-V curve was conducted, revealing the potential of CuSbS₂ as a BSF and CdS as a buffer layer in high-performance, cost-effective CZTS SC designs.

Solar Cell, CZTS, BSF, Defect Density, Doping Concentration, SCAPS-1D

Wahid, M. , Ahmed, N. , Rahman, M. , Al Mamun, A. , Howlader, M. and Tareq, M. (2023) Performance Enhancement of CZTS Solar Cell with CuSbS₂ Back Surface Field: A Numerical Simulation Approach. Engineering, 15, 497-513. doi: 10.4236/eng.2023.159037.