Impact of layer thickness on the efficiency of solar cells designed with zinc-based thin films produced by chemical bath deposition

Abstract

Thin films of zinc-based materials were produced on glass substrates using the chemical bath deposition method. The study examined the effects of bath temperature and deposition time in the solution on the structural, surface, and optical properties of the deposited films. The results obtained led to the determination of the optimal deposition parameters, enabling the production of higher-quality zinc-based thin films. This research aimed to improve the understanding of the potential of zinc-based thin films and contribute to the development of higher-efficiency materials for applications in fields such as solar cells and optoelectronics. The solar cell layers in the GPVDM software were simulated by adding thin films of ZnO, ZnS, and ZnSe. The effect of layer thicknesses on the bandgap energies of zinc-based layers in solar cells was examined. It has been determined that zinc-based thin films have different bandgap energies and their optical properties vary. This phenomenon alters electron transport mobility and affects the layer thicknesses to achieve high efficiency in solar cells. Simultaneously, the influence of layer thicknesses on the efficiency of solar cells was investigated. When a zinc-based layer was used, it was found that the power conversion efficiency (PCE) reached up to 14 percent. The easy, economical production of thin films with desired characteristics will contribute to reducing the production cost and increasing the efficiency of solar cells, thus benefiting future solar energy technologies.