Thin-Film Photovoltaics: Kesterite, Antimony Sulfides, and CIGS Absorbers
This community develops thin-film solar cells using absorber materials such as copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), kesterite (CZTS/CZTSSe), and antimony sulfides/selenides, focusing on layer engineering, deposition techniques, and efficiency optimization.
The research centers on the fabrication and optimization of thin-film photovoltaic devices, with a strong emphasis on specific absorber materials including CIGS, kesterite (Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2ZnSnSe4), and antimony-based compounds like Sb2S3 and Sb2Se3. Key methodological themes include the engineering of buffer layers, electron and hole transport layers, and back contacts to improve carrier management. Deposition methods such as spray pyrolysis and numerical simulations of structural and optical properties are frequently employed to refine device architecture. The work addresses specific challenges like defect passivation, interface recombination losses, and phase evolution to enhance cell efficiency and stability across these material systems.
The community is most heavily represented in selenium research, accounting for 4.8% of all selenium-related papers, followed by indium at 3.5% and gallium at 2.1%. Copper contributes the highest number of papers within this group, with 4,898 entries, while selenium leads in share of its total research output.
There are 16,309 papers in this community, primarily published in Thin Solid Films, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, and Solar Energy.
Recent work continues to focus on defect engineering and interface reconstruction in kesterite and antimony selenosulfide cells, with recent studies reporting certified efficiencies exceeding 14% for kesterite and over 10% for antimony-based materials through strategies like cation ordering and field-effect passivation.