摘要： Owing to superior optical properties, ZnO thin ?lms have immense potential in solar cell preparation. ZnO thin ?lms were prepared by sol–gel technology. However, this is prolonged technique and it necessitates a complex precursor solution. In the present work, ZnO thin ?lms are prepared by sol–gel spin coating with simple precursor, zinc acetate. A very remarkable feature of the method is that polycrystalline, non-abrasive and translucent ?lms were obtained. Additionally, novel PbS:Hg quantum dots (QDs) and CdS QDs are successfully synthesized. Moreover, both types of QDs are deposited layer-by-layer over pure ZnO and Ag:ZnO thin ?lms. The ?lms are characterized by X-ray diffraction, and crystallinity continuation is observed even after the addition of QDs layer. Presence of synthesized QDs over thin ?lms is also con?rmed. The ?lms were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Uniform, dense and porous surface morphology is clearly revealed. Sensitized thin ?lms show a huge decline in band gap and large enhancement in ef?ciency. Superior current density (10.87 mA cm?2) is achieved with PbS:Hg/CdS/Ag:ZnO, which leads to enhancement in overall solar conversion ef?ciency by 6.34 times.