Modification of Back Contact in Cu₂ZnSnS₄ Solar Cell by Inserting Al-Doped ZnO Intermediate Layer

The optimization of back contact interface is crucial to improve the performance of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) thin film solar cells. In this paper, we first employ Al-doped ZnO (AZO) as the intermediate layer into the Mo/CZTS interface to improve the quality of back contact region. This AZO intermediate layer, obtained from the sputtering method prior to the CZTS precursor deposition, initially blocks the direct contact of CZTS with the Mo layer and thus indeed suppresses the decomposition reaction between Mo and CZTS. Consequently, the generation of voids at the back contact region is obviously avoided. Besides, the AZO intermediate layer can inhibit the reaction between sulfur (S) and Mo during sulfurization process, and thus significantly reduce the thickness of MoS₂. Meanwhile, the AZO intermediate layer with suitable thickness does not affect the crystal quality of CZTS absorber layer. Moreover, the effects of different thicknesses of predeposited AZO on the film morphology, composition, and corresponding device performance were systematically studied. After optimizing the thickness of the AZO layer, the efficiency of the resultant device has increased from 7.1% to 8.4% (the active area efficiency is 9.2%).