@article {6762,
	title = {Microstructured ZnO-ZnS composite for earth-abundant photovoltaics: Elaboration, surface analysis and enhanced optical performances},
	journal = {Solar Energy},
	volume = {218},
	year = {2021},
	pages = {312-319},
	abstract = {
	In this paper,\&nbsp;ZnO-ZnS\&nbsp;composite structure is proposed as a new efficient and earth-abundant absorber material for thin-film solar cells (TFSCs). Promising elaboration strategy based on combining vacuum thermal evaporation technique and oxidation process under an annealing temperature of\&nbsp;500\&nbsp;{\textdegree}C\&nbsp;was used to prepare\&nbsp;ZnO-ZnS\&nbsp;composite with high sun-light absorption capabilities. The fabricated microstructure was then characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive\&nbsp;X-ray spectroscopy (EDS),\&nbsp;X-ray diffraction (XRD), and\&nbsp;UV{\textendash}Visible absorption spectroscopy. The influence of the annealing time on the structural and optical performances of the prepared samples was investigated. Surface analysis demonstrated the\&nbsp;ZnO\&nbsp;decoration of\&nbsp;ZnS\&nbsp;thin-film, where\&nbsp;SEM\&nbsp;images showed dense and pinhole-free\&nbsp;ZnO-ZnS\&nbsp;composite with micrometer-sized grains and a few voids visible at thin-films surface. Optical characterization showed that the prepared thin-film absorber exhibits an optical band-gap of\&nbsp;2.65\&nbsp;eV\&nbsp;with a high Total Absorption Efficiency (TAE) of\&nbsp;62\%\&nbsp;and an absorption coefficient exceeding\&nbsp;2\&nbsp;{\texttimes}\&nbsp;104\&nbsp;cm-1. In addition,\&nbsp;I-V\&nbsp;characteristics under dark and\&nbsp;1-sun\&nbsp;illumination of the microstructured\&nbsp;ZnO-ZnS\&nbsp;composite were extracted. It was revealed that the proposed absorber showcases a high visible photoresponse. Therefore, promoting effective light-scattering effects, this innovative\&nbsp;ZnO-ZnS\&nbsp;composite offers a sound pathway to prepare alternative low-cost absorbers for the future development of\&nbsp;TFSCs.

},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X21001717},
	author = {Benyahia, Kaddour and Fay{\c c}al Djeffal and Hichem Ferhati and Benhaya, Abdelhamid and Bendjerad, Adel and Djaballah, Y and Martin, N}
}
