Fabrication of Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films from an electrodeposited Cu-Zn-Sn-Se/Cu-Sn-Se bilayer

In this study, a novel sequential electrodeposition of Cu-Zn-Sn-Se and Cu-Sn-Se layers was applied for fabrication of a Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) thin film. The desired Cu-Zn-Sn-Se/Cu-Sn-Se bilayer was obtained at a selected applied potential from electrolytes containing corresponding metal and selenium ions. Annealing of the bilayer film under argon (Ar) flow induced significant losses of Sn and Se components due probably to evaporation of the SnSe compound. Suppression of these losses could be realized by introduction of Se vapor during the annealing: as a result, a CZTSe thin film with an ideal Cu-poor/Zn-rich composition for solar cell application was obtained. The solar cell with a device with the structure of glass/Mo/CZTSe/CdS/ZnO/AZO derived from thus-obtained CZTSe film exhibited a conversion efficiency of 1.1%, while the device still possessed a significant leakage current and a high series resistance. (C) 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim