Physical properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 2 ZnSnS 4 absorber layer deposited by spray pyrolysis: Effect of the temperature associated with SCAPS 1D simulation

This research basically reports the synthesis and characterization of copper-zinc-thin-sulfide thin films using spray pyrolysis technique, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy (RS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometry, respectively. The as-deposited Cu2ZnSnS4 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) thin films were deposited at temperatures such as 325 degrees C, 350 degrees C, and 375 degrees C to investigate their structural, morphological, and optical properties. XRD results revealed a polycrystalline structure for all films with peaks assigned to (112), (220), and (312) directions and corresponding to the kesterite phase of CZTS. RS showed peaks relating to the formation of a pure and single CZTS phase without any other secondary nor ternary impurities thus confirming the XRD results. AFM and SEM images revealed a uniform surface morphology for all films with a good homogeneity and densely packed grains. The calculated band gap energy was found to increase from 1.54 eV to 1.57 eV as the temperature increases from 325 degrees C to 375 degrees C. in addition, a theoretical efficiency of 24.91 % was obtained using MoS2 2 material as back surface field (BSF) layer with the Mo/MoS2/CZTS/CdS/Al: 2 /CZTS/CdS/Al: ZnO structure in SCAPS-1D simulation program. The effects of many parameters such as thickness, temperature, and carrier concentration in the absorber layer were investigated to evaluate the solar cell performance.