Modification of light absorption in thin CuInS2 films by sprayed Au nanoparticles

Microstrain effects of laser-ablated Au nanoparticles in enhancing CZTS-based 1 Sun photodetector devices

Copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) thin films were synthesized on soda lime glass using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at room temperature. Introducing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in a sandwich structure led to increased CZTS particle size and a shift in the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak of the AuNPs, influenced by different laser energy levels. The absorption measurements revealed intriguing behavior across the visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions, making these films appealing for 1 Sun photodetectors. Furthermore, the presence of AuNPs in the sandwich structure reduced microstrain effects, measuring 1.94 × 10-3 compared to 3.38 × 10-3 in their absence. This reduction directly enhances carrier transport, which is particularly beneficial for accelerating the performance of photodetector devices. This effect of AuNPs also contributed to higher dielectric coefficients, further improving the photodetector performance. Under 1 Sun illumination conditions, this enhancement resulted in a rapid rising time of 95.4 ms, showcasing the potential for faster photodetection.

Low-cost plasmonic solar cells prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis

Solar cells consisting of an extremely thin In2S3/CuInS2 buffer/absorber layer uniformly covering planar ZnO were prepared entirely by chemical spray pyrolysis. Au nanoparticles (Au-NPs) were formed via thermal decomposition of a gold(III) chloride trihydrate (HAuCl4·3H2O) precursor by spraying 2 mmol/L of the aqueous precursor solution onto a substrate held at 260 °C. Current-voltage scans and external quantum efficiency spectra were used to evaluate the solar cell performance. This work investigates the effect of the location of the Au-NP layer deposition (front side vs rear side) in the solar cell and the effect of varying the volume (2.5-10 mL) of the sprayed Au precursor solution. A 63% increase (from 4.6 to 7.5 mA/cm(2)) of the short-circuit current density was observed when 2.5 mL of the precursor solution was deposited onto the rear side of the solar cell.