Study of CuInS2/ZnS/ZnO solar cells, with chemically deposited ZnS buffer layers from acidic solutions

Thin film solar cells based on CuInS2/ZnS/ZnO have been prepared with ZnS buffer film of different thickness. ZnS films are grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) from acidic solutions of ZnSO4 and thioacetamide (TA). The change of the growth rate with time is studied by means of the quartz crystal microbalance. Films with different thickness show variable physical, chemical and morphological properties. The structure is studied with X-ray diffraction, showing different crystallinity with deposition time. The absorption coefficient depends also on the CBD deposition time, and shows absorption edges between 2.70 and 3.65 eV. The compositional analysis carried out with XPS (surface) and EDAX (bulk). Bulk composition reflects highly stoichiometric films, with Zn/S ratios close to unit. Preliminary results with CuInS2-based solar cell show efficiencies around 5%, lower than usually found with standard US buffer films (around 9%). (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.