Near-optimal composition of CZTS thin film via exploration of copper and thiourea molar concentration in spray pyrolysis technique

Jeganath, K.; Raviprakash, Y.

doi:10.1088/2053-1591/ac343e

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The band gap values of the films S-0 to S-5 are found to be 1.62, 1.58, 1.55, 1.4, 1.38, and 1.6 eV, respectively. Band gap of the as-deposited thin films grown at 300 °C substrate temperature agrees well with the values reported by other researchers [48]. Figure 7 exhibits the variation of band gap for all samples, which shows that the value of the direct optical band gap gradually decreases with the increase in copper content, and sulfurization, which is concurrent to the reported values [20].…”

Section: Optical Propertiessupporting

confidence: 89%

“…A similar effect is observed in our samples. It was reported that a higher copper concentration leads to increased band gap [48], whereas, in this study it was found that addition of copper reduces the band gap of the samples, in comparison to the as-deposited sample. According to our study, the ideal copper content may be between 25%-26% for a low bandgap within 1.4 to 1.5 eV, for optimal use of the CZTS thin film as an absorber layer in a thin film solar cell structure.…”

Section: Optical Propertiescontrasting

confidence: 55%

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Study of optical and structural properties of CZTS thin films using copper capping layer and sulfurization to correct stoichiometry

Bhale,

Bute,

Tokas

et al. 2024

Phys. Scr.

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Non-toxic, environment friendly and low cost Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were deposited on sodalime glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputter deposition technique. Stoichiometry analysis revealed that the as-deposited films were Cu deficient. Hence, Cu capping layer was deposited, to study its’ effect on optical and structural properties of the films. These films were subsequently sulfurized in a quartz setup. Ultimately, stoichiometric CZTS films with improved Cu content up to 27.4% were obtained. The kesterite CZTS phase was identified in the samples using X-ray diffraction measurements. The morphological studies revealed that, grain size varies as a function of the thickness of Cu capping layer. The formation of undesired Cu2S and ZnS phases were also observed in the film with Cu content above and below the optimum range. Optical bandgap (Eg) of the films could also be optimized by controlling the Cu content in the film. An optimal Cu content between 24% and 26% was found to be appropriate for achieving a desired bandgap within a range of 1.55 to 1.4 eV, suitable for application in thin film solar cells. The CZTS films with corrected stoichiometry have a charge carrier density in the rage of ~〖10〗21 〖cm〗-3, which are much better than values reported so far in the literature.

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Section: Optical Propertiessupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Optical Propertiescontrasting

confidence: 55%

Study of optical and structural properties of CZTS thin films using copper capping layer and sulfurization to correct stoichiometry

Bhale,

Bute,

Tokas

et al. 2024

Phys. Scr.

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“…6 using a 325 nm wavelength. The CuS is known to segregate on the surface in the form of easily visible large grains 68 . This confirms the conclusions of GIXRD analysis.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the stacking order, annealing temperature and atmosphere on crystal phase and optical properties of Cu2SnS3

Zaki

Sava

Şimăndan

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Cu2SnS3 (CTS) is emerging as a promising absorber for the next generation thin film solar cells (TFSC) due to its excellent optical and electronic properties, earth-abundance and eco-friendly elemental composition. In addition, CTS can be used as precursor films for the Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) synthesis. The optical properties of CTS are influenced by stoichiometry, crystalline structure, secondary phases and crystallite size. Routes for obtaining CTS films with optimized properties for TFSC are still being sought. Here, the CTS thin films synthesized by magnetron sputtering on soda lime glass (SLG) using Cu and SnS2 targets in two different stacks, were studied. The SLG\Cu\SnS2 and SLG\SnS2\Cu stacks were annealed in S and Sn + S atmospheres, at various temperatures. Both stacks show a polymorphic structure, and higher annealing temperatures favor the monoclinic CTS phase formation. Morphology is influenced by the stacking order since a SnS2 top layer generates several voids on the surface due to the evaporation of SnS, while a Cu top layer provides uniform and void-free surfaces. The films in the copper-capped stack annealed under Sn + S atmosphere have the best structural, morphological, compositional and optical properties, with tunable band gaps between 1.18 and 1.37 eV. Remarkably, secondary phases are present only in a very low percent (< 3.5%) in samples annealed at higher temperatures. This new synthesis strategy opens the way for obtaining CTS thin films for solar cell applications, that can be used also as intermediary stage for CZTS synthesis.

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“…Different chemical and physical approaches have been employed to synthesize CZTS thin films, such as electrodeposition, sol–gel, spray pyrolysis, evaporation, pulsed laser deposition, and magnetron sputtering . Among these techniques, magnetron sputtering allows the production of highly crystalline CZTS films on large-area substrates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Two-Step Magnetron Sputtering Approach for the Synthesis of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ Films from Cu₂SnS₃\ZnS Stacks

et al. 2022

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Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) is regarded as one of the emerging materials for next-generation thin film solar cells. However, its synthesis is complex, and obtaining a single-phase CZTS thin film is difficult. This work reports the elaboration of Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 thin films by a sequential magnetron sputtering deposition of Cu 2 SnS 3 (CTS) and ZnS as stacked films. Initially, the CTS films were prepared on a soda lime glass substrate by annealing Cu and SnS 2 stacked layers. Second, ZnS was deposited by magnetron sputtering on the CTS films. The CTS\ZnS stacks were then annealed in Sn + S or S atmospheres. The tetragonal CZTS structure was obtained and confirmed by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The morphological and compositional characteristics, measured by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, revealed large grains and dense surfaces with the elemental composition close to the intended stoichiometry. Additional X-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements were performed to determine the surface chemistry and particularities of the obtained films. The optical properties, determined using conventional spectroscopy, showed optimal absorber layer band gap values ranging between 1.38 and 1.50 eV. The electrical measurements showed that all the films are p-type with high carrier concentrations in the range of 10 15 to 10 20 cm –3 . This new synthesis route for CZTS opens the way to obtain high-quality films by an industry-compatible method.

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Near-optimal composition of CZTS thin film via exploration of copper and thiourea molar concentration in spray pyrolysis technique

Cited by 11 publications

References 52 publications

Study of optical and structural properties of CZTS thin films using copper capping layer and sulfurization to correct stoichiometry

Study of optical and structural properties of CZTS thin films using copper capping layer and sulfurization to correct stoichiometry

Effect of the stacking order, annealing temperature and atmosphere on crystal phase and optical properties of Cu2SnS3

A Two-Step Magnetron Sputtering Approach for the Synthesis of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ Films from Cu₂SnS₃\ZnS Stacks

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Near-optimal composition of CZTS thin film via exploration of copper and thiourea molar concentration in spray pyrolysis technique

Cited by 11 publications

References 52 publications

Study of optical and structural properties of CZTS thin films using copper capping layer and sulfurization to correct stoichiometry

Study of optical and structural properties of CZTS thin films using copper capping layer and sulfurization to correct stoichiometry

Effect of the stacking order, annealing temperature and atmosphere on crystal phase and optical properties of Cu2SnS3

A Two-Step Magnetron Sputtering Approach for the Synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 Films from Cu2SnS3\ZnS Stacks

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A Two-Step Magnetron Sputtering Approach for the Synthesis of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ Films from Cu₂SnS₃\ZnS Stacks