Fabrication of Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Films Based on Facile Nanocrystals-Printing Approach with Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) Process

Abstract

In the current study, Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) thin film was successfully fabricated by the facile nanocrystals (NCs)-printing approach combined with rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process. Firstly, the CZTS NCs were synthesized by a thermal solution method and the possible formation mechanism was analyzed briefly. Then the influences of RTA toleration temperature and duration time on the various properties of as-printed thin films were examined via XRD, Raman, FE-SEM, UV-vis-IR spectroscopy, EDS and XPS treatments in detail. As observed, the RTA factors of temperature and time had significant impacts on the structure and morphology of as-prepared thin films, while there were no obvious effects on the band gap energy in studied conditions. The results showed that the obtained thin film at optimal RTA conditions of (600 • C, 20 min) featured a kesterite structure in pure phase and an irregular morphology consisting of large grains. Moreover, the satisfactory composition of a Cu-poor, Zn-rich state and an ideal band gap energy of 1.4 eV suggests that as-fabricated CZTS thin film is a suitable light-absorbing layer candidate for the application in thin film solar cells.

Fabrication of Cu2ZnSnS4 Light Absorber Using a Cost-Effective Mechanochemical Method for Photovoltaic Applications

“…The results revealed that the S1-Na, S2-Na, and S3-Na thin films are non-uniform, porous, and vary in grain size. Although the surface morphology of the CZTS:Na thin films is uneven and non-compact, it is conducive to the evaporation of organic materials and the reduction in carbon residues at the bottom of thin films [ 52 ]. The thicknesses of S0-Na, S1-Na, S2-Na, and S3-Na thin films were found to be 2.36, 2.14, 2.06, and 1.96 µm, respectively.…”

Facile Ultrasound-Assisted Synthesis of Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide Chalcogenide Nanoparticles for Thin Film Solar Cell Applications

“…The ratio of Zn to Sn is also closer to the required value of 1. The sample synthesized at 45 kHz thus show copper poor and Zn rich behavior which is preferred for excellent photovoltaic performance when compared to the stoichiometric CZTS [24,28,29] [28]. Similarly, both samples present a significant drop in the sulfur composition upon annealing.…”

Synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Ink by an Easy Hydrothermal Method

“…All data were collected at room temperature (25°C). 32 The DLS of samples were measured based on time-dependent spatial oscillation fluctuations, and these data were used to calculate the emission factor and particle size. The relation between the particle size and its emission factor is defined in the Stokes-Einstein equation ( 5):…”

“…Before the measurement, the solution was centrifuged for 15 minutes using an ultrasonic bath (40, 35 kHz, 460/H Elma). All data were collected at room temperature (25°C) 32.…”