Journal
NATURE ENERGY
Volume 7, Issue 10, Pages 966-977Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41560-022-01132-4
Keywords
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Funding
- National Key Research and Development Program of China [2019YFE0118100]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [12174060, 22075150, U2002216, 51972332]
- Shanghai Academic/Technology Research Leader [19XD1421300]
- National Science Foundation [NNCI-1542101]
- University of Washington
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute
- National Institutes of Health
- Clean Energy Institute
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The efficiency of kesterite solar cells has been stuck at 12.6% since 2013 due to challenges in controlling defects. Now Gong et al. present a low-temperature annealing of the kesterite/CdS junction to form an epitaxial interface with a low defect density, enabling 13%-efficiency devices.
The conversion efficiency of kesterite solar cells has been stagnated at 12.6% since 2013. In contrast to chalcopyrite solar cells, the performance of kesterite solar cells is seriously limited by heterojunction interface recombination. Here we demonstrate kesterite/CdS heterojunction is constructed on a Zn-poor surface due to the dissolution of Zn2+ during chemical bath deposition. The occupation of Cd2+ on the Zn site and re-deposition of Zn2+ into CdS creates a defective and lattice-mismatched interface. Low-temperature annealing of the kesterite/CdS junction drives migration of Cd2+ from absorber back to CdS and Zn2+ from absorber bulk to surface, achieving a gradient composition and reconstructing an epitaxial interface. This greatly reduces interface recombination and improves device open-circuit voltage and fill factor. We achieve certified 12.96% efficiency small-area (0.11 cm(2)) and certified 11.7% efficiency large-area (1.1 cm(2)) kesterite devices. The findings are expected to advance the development of kesterite solar cells. The efficiency of kesterite solar cells has been stuck at 12.6% since 2013 due to challenges in controlling defects. Now Gong et al. present a low-temperature annealing of the kesterite/CdS junction to form an epitaxial interface with a low defect density, enabling 13%-efficiency devices.
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