Cd-free buffer layer materials on Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)4: Band alignments with ZnO, ZnS, and In2S3

The heterojunctions formed between Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)(4) (CZTSSe) and three Cd-free n-type buffers, ZnS, ZnO, and In2S3, were studied using femtosecond ultraviolet photoemission and photovoltage spectroscopy. The electronic properties including the Fermi level location at the interface, band bending in the CZTSSe substrate, and valence and conduction band offsets were determined and correlated with device properties. We also describe a method for determining the band bending in the buffer layer and demonstrate this for the In2S3/CZTSSe system. The chemical bath deposited In2S3 buffer is found to have near optimal conduction band offset (0.15 eV), enabling the demonstration of Cd-free In2S3/CZTSSe solar cells with 7.6% power conversion efficiency. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4714737]