Optical properties of Cd1-xZnxS thin films for CuInGaSe2 solar cell application

The photovoltaic Cd1-xZnxS thin films, fabricated by chemical bath deposition, were successfully used as n-type buffer layer in CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) solar cells. Comprehensive optical properties of the Cd1-xZnxS thin films were measured and modeled by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), which is proven to be an excellent and non-destructive technique to determine optical properties of thin films. The optical band gap of Cd1-xZnxS thin films can be tuned from 2.43 eV to 3.25 eV by controlling the Zn content (x) and deposition conditions. The wider-band-gap Cd1-xZnxS film was found to be favorable to improve the quantum efficiency in the wavelength range of 450-550 nm, resulting in an increase of short-circuits current for solar cells. From the characterization of quantum efficiency (QE) and current-voltage curve (J-V) of CIGS cells, the Cd1-xZnxS films (x = 0.32, 0.45) were demonstrated to significantly enhance the photovoltaic performance of CIGS solar cell. The highest efficiency (10.5%) of CIGS solar cell was obtained using a dense and homogenous Cd0.68Zn0.32S thin film as the buffer layer. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.