Modeling of Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide Solar Cells with Various Buffers Using SCAPS‐1D

Abstract

Recently, researchers have shown a strong interest in research on quaternary semiconductor copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) photovoltaic cells. These cells have a high absorption coefficient, a direct bandgap, and excellent electrical properties. However, the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) in the cadmium sulfide (CdS) buffer layer in standard CZTS solar cells, can generate severe environmental contamination that is hazardous to humans. As a result, building a Cd‐free CZTS solar cell is critical. Meanwhile, given that the peak power conversion efficiency of CZTS solar cells stands at a modest 11%, this study is dedicated to identifying an optimal approach for replacing the environmentally hazardous CdS layers to enhance overall efficiency. SCAPS‐1D is a one‐dimensional solar cell simulation program commonly used to examine proposed solar cells without building them. This study highlights the performance of CZTS with various nontoxic buffer layers, as well as the key results obtained through numerical research with SCAPS‐1D.