SnS thin films were fabricated using a co-evaporation method, and the optimization of SnS thin films in terms of substrate temperature and the dependence of their properties on Sn/S ratio were investigated. The substrate temperature was adjusted in the range of 250-350 °C. On the other hand, the SnS thin films with Sn/S compositional ratios of 0.88-1.28 were fabricated. The resulting SnS films were then used to fabricate solar cells with the structure glass/Mo/SnS/CdS/ZnO:Al/Al. It was found that the optimal substrate temperature for SnS thin films was 300 °C. The highest performance was obtained for solar cells containing a SnS thin film with a Sn/S ratio that was slightly lower than the stoichiometric value.

We present for the first time the temperature dependence of resistivity, anomalous Hall effect, and extraordinary magnetoresistance (MR) in 6.5% Mn-doped ZnSnAs2 epitaxial film prepared by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on InP(001) substrates. The magnetic field dependence of magnetization (M–H curve) show clear hysteresis loops at 300 K for magnetic fields applied both perpendicular and parallel to the sample surface. The Curie temperature was evaluated to be 350 K. Near-zero-field hysteresis loops in the anomalous Hall resistance were also observed at various temperatures corresponding to the hysteretic out-of-plane magnetization of the sample. Negative and positive values of MR were observed in the low-field region. The behavior of the MR can be properly described by the Khosla–Fischer semi-empirical model for spin scattering of carriers in an impurity band. These characteristics strongly indicate a carrier-spin interaction in Mn-doped ZnSnAs2.

The binary compound SnS consists of elements that are non‐toxic, inexpensive, and abundant in the Earth's crust. It is a p‐type semiconductor with a band gap energy of 1.3 eV and an absorption coefficient of 104 cm−1, and is therefore a potential candidate for use as a solar cell absorber material. In this study, SLG/Mo/SnS/CdS/ZnO:Al/Al and SLG/Mo/SnS/ZnO/ZnO:Al/Al SnS thin‐film solar cells with different buffer layers were fabricated using a co‐evaporation method. The dependence of the photovoltaic properties of the SnS thin‐film solar cells with CdS or ZnO as the buffer layer was investigated. We demonstrate that the device with a ZnO buffer layer exhibited higher conversion efficiency and short‐circuit current density compared to the device with a CdS buffer layer.

No abstract

No abstract