Cu2ZnSnS4Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film solar cells prepared by non-vacuum processing

Cu2ZnSnS4Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS)-based solar cell devices were prepared entirely by non-vacuum deposition techniques on soda lime glass (SLG) substrates. The ZnO:Al window, CdS buffer and CZTS absorber layers of the Al/ZnO:Al/CdS/CZTS/Mo/SLG solar cell structure were deposited by sol–gel method, chemical bath deposition method and sol–gel sulfurizing method, respectively. The best solar cell sample showed an open-circuit voltage of 390 mV, a short-circuit current density of 7.8mA/cm2, a fill factor of 0.33 and an efficiency of 1.01% under irradiation of AM 1.5 and 100mW/cm2. This is the first report on CZTS thin film solar cells in which all the semiconductor layers were prepared under non-vacuum condition.