Preparation of Cu2CdxZn1−xSnS4 thin films by nanoparticle ink method

Because of their excellent optical and electrical properties, Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films have been considered as a potential absorber layer for solar cells. However, CZTS suffers from some problems, such as secondary phases, antisite defects, and band tailing issues. Introducing Cd into CZTS to form Cu2CdxZn1−xSnS4 (CCZTS) is an effective method for alleviating the limitations of CZTS. In this study, the nanoparticle ink method was used to fabricate CCZTS thin films, and the effect of Cd content on the properties of CCZTS thin films was studied. The results showed that the as-prepared thin films had high purity, good crystallinity and photocurrent response. The photosensitivity and power conversion efficiency increased at first and then decreased with increasing Cd content. Due to the relatively excellent crystallization and photoresponse characteristics, the highest conversion efficiency of 0.72% was obtained when x = 0.3.