Synthesis of Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin-film solar cells from nanoparticles by a non-vacuum mechanical ball milling and rapid thermal processing

A truly simple, reproducible, and environmentally friendly non-vacuum synthesis method for synthesising of carbon-free Cu 2 ZnSnSe 4 (CZTSe) absorber layer has been presented. The stannite CZTSe nanoparticles with an average size of about 20 nm distributions were fabricated by an ambient mechanical milling procedure using Cu 2 Se, Zn, Sn, elemental selenium powders as raw materials and non-toxic ethanol as solvent. The compact CZTSe thin films were formed via an annealing treatment under Ar/Se atmosphere using rapid thermal processing. The optical properties of the obtained CZTSe thin films are the absorption coefficient ( α ) exceeding 10 4 cm −1 and E g of 0.91 eV. The electrical properties of the CZTSe thin films indicate p -type semiconductor behaviour. The photovoltaic properties of this solar cell are power conversion efficiency of 0.18%.