Study on the performances of SnS heterojunctions by numerical analysis

• The photovoltaic properties of SnS heterojunctions were studied by numerical method.
• The window/SnS and SnS/c-Si heterojunctions showed distinct photovoltaic properties.
• The effects of the heterojunction structure were researched.
• The ZnS/SnS heterojunction exhibited the highest conversion efficiency.
• The photovoltaic properties of ZnS/SnS heterojunction were further optimized.

The semiconducting SnS heterojunctions have been used as solar cell structure. In an effort to study the photovoltaic properties of different SnS heterojunctions, in this work, the CdS/SnS, ZnS/SnS, ZnO/SnS, a-Si/SnS, and SnS/c-Si heterojunctions were studied by numerical analysis. The calculated results show that the ZnS/SnS heterojunction has the highest conversion efficiency. The SnS thin film has different roles depending on another material. The heterojunction structure will affect the window and absorption properties. The less absorption in the window layer and the less photo-generated carrier barrier in the heterojunction interface will lead to the improved photovoltaic properties. The photovoltaic properties can be further enhanced by adjusting the thickness. The calculated results provide a guide to the design and fabrication of SnS heterojunction solar cells.