title: Development of a selective chemical etch to improve the conversion efficiency of Zn-rich Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells.
abstract: Improvement of the efficiency of Cu(2)ZnSnS(4) (CZTS)-based solar cells requires the development of specific procedures to remove or avoid the formation of detrimental secondary phases. The presence of these phases is favored by the Zn-rich and Cu-poor conditions that are required to obtain device-grade layers. We have developed a selective chemical etching process based on the use of hydrochloric acid solutions to remove Zn-rich secondary phases from the CZTS film surface, which are partly responsible for the deterioration of the series resistance of the cells and, as a consequence, the conversion efficiency. Using this approach, we have obtained CZTS-based devices with 5.2% efficiency, which is nearly twice that of the devices we have prepared without this etching process.
authors.affiliation: IREC, Catalonia Institute for Energy Research, C. Jardins de les Dones de Negre 1, 08930 Sant Adrià del Besòs, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fairbrother
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Hemme
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Izquierdo-Roca
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fontané
authors.forename: Fabián A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Pulgarín-Agudelo
authors.forename: Osvaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vigil-Galán
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pérez-Rodríguez
authors.forename: Edgardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saucedo