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This research evaluates the suitability of Cd-doped ZnS thin films as buffer layers for thin-film solar cells.

February 28, 2026Open Access

Cadmium-Doped ZnS Thin Films via SILAR for Buffer-Layer Applications: An Experimental and mBJ-DFT Study

Key Points

This research evaluates the suitability of Cd-doped ZnS thin films as buffer layers for thin-film solar cells.
Cd-doped ZnS thin films synthesized using SILAR method.
X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to determine crystal structure.
Density functional theory (DFT) with mBJ calculations to study electronic properties.
Hall measurements to assess n-type transport characteristics.
Thin films exhibit a single zinc-blende phase and slight lattice expansion with increasing Cd content.
Increased Cd concentration leads to decreased transmittance and narrowed direct band gap.
DFT predicts a redshift in absorption due to Cd-related states near band edges.
Higher Cd levels result in lower resistivity, higher mobility, and increased electron concentration.

Abstract

Cd-doped ZnS thin films (0–6 at.%) were deposited by SILAR and assessed as buffer layers for thin-film solar cells. XRD shows a single zinc-blende phase, with a small lattice expansion after Cd incorporation. As the Cd content increases, transmittance decreases and the direct band gap narrows, pushing absorption further into the visible. DFT with mBJ reproduces this redshift and attributes it to Cd-related states near the band edges. Hall measurements indicate stronger n-type transport at higher Cd levels, with lower resistivity, higher mobility, and a larger electron concentration. Overall, about 6% Cd provides a workable balance between transparency, absorption, and conductivity, making ZnS:Cd a suitable buffer-layer candidate.

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Cite This Study

Yousfi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a286da0a974eb0d3c0223a https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16030161

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