Related papers: Assessing the defect tolerance of kesterite-inspir…
Tail state formation in solar cell absorbers leads to a detrimental effect on solar cell performance. Nevertheless, the characterization of the band tailing in experimental semiconductor crystals is generally difficult. In this article, to…
Kesterite I$_2$-II-IV-V$_4$ semiconductors are promising solar absorbers for photovoltaics applications. The band gap and it's character, either direct or indirect, are fundamental properties determining photovoltaic-device efficiency. We…
The Cu$_2$BaSnS$_4$ (CBTS) and Cu$_2$SrSnS$_4$ (CSTS) semiconductors have been recently proposed as potential wide band gap photovoltaic absorbers. Although several measurements indicate that they are less affected by band tailing than…
In this work, first principle calculations of Cu$_2$ZnSnS$_4$ (CZTS), Cu$_2$ZnGeS$_4$ (CZGS) and Cu$_2$ZnSiS$_4$ (CZSS) are performed to highlight the impact of the cationic substitution on the structural, electronic and optical properties…
We design two new I2-II-IV-VI4 quaternary semiconductors Cu$_2$ZnTiSe$_4$ and Cu$_2$ZnTiS$_4$, and systematically study the crystal and electronic structure by employing first-principles electronic structure calculations. Among the…
Thin-film solar cells based on kesterite (Cu2ZnSnSe4) material are a promising alternative for photovoltaic devices due to their composition consisting of earth abundant elements, ease of production at a relatively low temperatures and…
In kesterite CZTSSe solar cell research, an asymmetric crystallization profile is often obtained after annealing, resulting in a bilayered or double-layered absorber. So far, only segregated pieces of research exist to characterize this…
Streamlined prediction of the electronic properties of photoactive materials warrants a Density Functional Theory (DFT) based approach that (i) yields reliable bandgaps, (ii) is free of empirically tuned parameters, and (iii) exhibits low…
The theoretical maximum efficiency of a solar cell is typically characterized by a detailed balance of optical absorption and emission for a semiconductor in the limit of unity radiative efficiency and an ideal step-function response for…
To reduce the prominent VOC-deficit that limits kesterite-based solar cells efficiencies, Ge has been proposed over the recent years with encouraging results, as the reduction of the non-radiative recombination rate is considered as a way…
Kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cell has emerged as one of the most promising candidates for thin-film photovoltaics. However, severe charge losses occurring at the grain boundaries (GBs) of Kesterite polycrystalline absorbers has…
We demonstrate a non-destructive approach to provide structural properties on the grain level for the absorber layer of kesterite solar cells. Kesterite solar cells are notoriously difficult to characterize structurally due to the…
The efficiencies of solar cells based on kesterite Cu$_2$ZnSnS$_4$ (CZTS) and Cu$_2$ZnSnSe$_4$ (CZTSe) are limited by a low open-circuit voltage due to high rates of non-radiative electron-hole recombination. To probe the origin of this…
Kesterite is a leading candidate among inorganic thin-film photovoltaic technologies, offering sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions without reliance on critical raw materials. This study investigates the performance of…
Sulfide chalcopyrite, Cu(In,Ga)S2, having wide bandgap (larger than 1.5 eV), favorable optoelectronic properties, and high stability, is a promising top-cell absorber for tandem applications. Adapting device structures optimized for 1.0 -…
Cu(In,Ga)Se2 based solar cells exceed power conversion efficiencies of 23 %. Yet, the fill factor of these solar cells, with best values around 80 %, is relatively low (Si reaches 84.9%) mostly due to diode factors greater than one.…
Sulfide Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS), a nontoxic and low-cost photovoltaic material, has always being facing severe charge recombination and poor carrier transport, resulting in the cell efficiency record stagnating around 11% for years.…
Atomic disorder, a widespread problem in compound crystalline materials, is a imperative affecting the performance of multi-chalcogenide Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 (CZTSSe) photovoltaic device known for its low cost and environmental friendliness.…
The recent synthesis of MoSi2N4 material, along with theoretical predictions encompassing the entire family of chemical analogs, has opened up a new array of low-dimensional materials for a diverse range of optoelectronics and photovoltaics…
Urbach tails in semiconductors are often associated to effects of compositional disorder. The Urbach tail observed in InGaN alloy quantum wells of solar cells and LEDs by biased photocurrent spectroscopy is shown to be characteristic of the…