Optical and Structural Properties of Tin Dioxide Thin Films Prepared by Pulsed-Laser Deposition for High-Efficiency Solar Cells

Abstract

Thin films of SnO₂ deposited by the pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) method using high-purity SnO₂ powder as the target. The deposition was done at room temperature and the film thickness was ≈200 nm. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) confirmed the pure state of the target material and the characteristic tin emission lines were observed with no visible impurities. The films deposited on the platform have a highly crystalline tetragonal rutile SnO₂ phase and crystallite sizes between 26.7 and 46.5 nm. The film surface was smooth and homogeneous, a roughness of the RMS was found to be 3.64 nm, and grains were approximately 64.06 nm. The optical bandgap was about 3.4 eV. The developed SnO₂/porous silicon (PSi) solar cell exhibited a short-circuit current density of 29 mA/cm², open-circuit voltage of 0.4 V, fill factor of 32.5%, and overall conversion efficiency of 3.77%.