Suppressing Element Inhomogeneity Enables 14.9% Efficiency CZTSSe Solar Cells

Kesterites, Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)4 (CZTSSe), solar cells suffer from severe open-circuit voltage (VOC) loss due to the numerous secondary phases and defects. The prevailing notion attributes this issue to Sn-loss during the selenization. However, this work unveils that, instead of Sn-loss, elemental inhomogeneity caused by Cu-directional diffusion toward Mo(S,Se)2 layer is the critical factor in the formation of secondary phases and defects. This diffusion decreases the Cu/(Zn+Sn) ratio to 53% at the bottom fine-grain layer, increasing the Sn-/Zn-related bulk defects. By suppressing the Cu-directional diffusion with a blocking layer, the crystal quality is effectively improved and the defect density is reduced, leading to a remarkable photovoltaic coversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.9% with a VOC of 576 mV and a certified efficiency of 14.6%. The findings provide insights into element inhomogeneity, holding significant potential to advance the development of CZTSSe solar cells. Elemental inhomogeneity caused by Cu-directional diffusion toward Mo(S,Se)2 layer is demonstrated to be the critical factor in the formation of secondary phases and defects. By suppressing the Cu-directional diffusion with a blocking layer, a remarkable efficiency of 14.9% is achieved, with an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 576 mV and a certified efficiency of 14.6%. image