Amorphous indium–zinc oxide layer with transport and protective dual-function for high-efficiency semitransparent and tandem Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells

Abstract

Environmentally friendly Sb₂(S,Se)₃ with excellent optoelectronic properties is considered to be a promising light-harvesting material, which can be applied to highly efficient semitransparent solar cells when well coupled with a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) electrode. However, the non-ohmic contact at the back interface and the severe sputtering damage incurred by preparing TCO impede the efficiency improvement of the semitransparent Sb₂(S,Se)₃ solar cells (ST-SSCs). Herein, we design a new structure to fabricate high-quality ST-SSCs with damage-free interfaces and excellent carrier transport capabilities by introducing a dual-functional amorphous indium–zinc oxide (IZO) layer. Under the protection and passivation of IZO, it not only alleviates the damage of high-energy particles to the underlying MnS layer, but also eliminates the barrier for hole extraction at the MnS/TCO interface by forming ohmic contact. As a result, the semitransparent device delivers a record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.26% under AM 1.5G illumination, which is the highest efficiency for semitransparent antimony-based solar cells so far. Furthermore, this device achieves the highest PCE of 10.69% for antimony-based tandem solar cells through coupling with the Sb₂Se₃ bottom cell, and a champion efficiency of 20.86% under 1000 lux indoor illumination. This research not only demonstrates an effective and implementable method for fabricating highly efficient semitransparent solar cells but also confirms the great potential of Sb₂(S,Se)₃ in multi-scenario solar electricity applications.