Band Offset Engineering in ZnSnN₂-Based Heterojunction for Low-Cost Solar Cells

Abstract

A new ternary-alloy, zinc–tin nitride (ZnSnN2), is considered as one of the most promising absorber materials for photovoltaic applications due to its ideal band gap, rich ternary-chemistry, robust optical absorption, and low cost. In the present work, we demonstrate the ZnSnN2-based P–N and P–i–N heterojunctions to study the band offset engineering for the development of high-efficiency inorganic solar cell. The P–i–N heterojunction is composed of p-SnO, i-Al2O3, and n-ZnSnN2 constituents. The inclusion of the i-Al2O3 buffer layer has remarkably improved the solar cell efficiency by regulating the conduction band offset and interface energy gap. It is believed that our present work will offer a promising approach to manufacture ZnSnN2-based heterojunctions with better band alignment for novel photovoltaic applications.