Cr-doped ZnS for intermediate band solar cells

In this paper we present preliminary current-voltage characteristics of different ZnS/p-Si hetero-junction solar cells, under 1 sun illumination. The devices with Cr-doped ZnS show an increase in the short circuit current, and only a slight decrease in the open circuit voltage compared to the devices with undoped ZnS. The ZnS films were prepared using pulsed laser deposition on p-doped Si (100) substrates, and are highly (111) oriented. For the Cr-doped films absorption of sub-bandgap photons is observed in the UV-VIS wavelength range. The findings support the identification of Cr-doped ZnS as a promising intermediate band solar cell material.