Raman studies of the intermediate tin-oxide phase

Abstract

The existence of an intermediate phase of tin oxide was first reported in 1882. However, its stoichiometry and its crystal structure have been dubious and heavily debated ever since, despite a multitude of structural investigations. We show that Raman spectroscopy combined with ab initio theory offers a viable alternative for structure determination in cases where diffraction studies are inconclusive. We unambiguously identify the intermediate phase as Sn 3 O 4 and rule out the other likely candidate, Sn 2 O 3. We assign the one-phonon Raman signals of Sn 3 O 4 to the mode symmetries of the corresponding point group C 2h and confirm that P 2 1 /c with 14 atoms per unit cell is the space group of Sn 3 O 4 .

Progress in Sputter Growth of β‐Ga2O3 by Applying Pulsed‐Mode Operation

“…Although it is beyond this article to evaluate the data in detail, both Raman spectra and the surface morphology investigated via SEM and AFM, respectively, confirm a more pronounced crystallinity after annealing . Especially Raman spectroscopy is known to very sensitively differentiate material phases or locate defect structures . Thus, the presumption of the conversion of amorphous material into β ‐Ga 2 O 3 throughout the discussion is further underlined.…”

Carrier transport and surface potential over phase variations in the surface and bulk of highly efficient Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 solar cells

“…46 The tin oxide phase peak at 172 and 583 cm −1 was particularly strong at P2 and P3 (ie, near the interfaces). 47 The peak for tin oxides at the wavenumber of 172 cm −1 can overlap with that of CZTSe. However, the biggest and primary peak of CZTSe is at 196 cm −1 .…”

“…MoSe 2 (288 and 350 cm −1 ), ZnSe (252 cm −1 ), and CZTSe (240 cm −1 ) appeared at point 2 (P2), which is near the Mo back‐contact layer . The tin oxide phase peak at 172 and 583 cm −1 was particularly strong at P2 and P3 (ie, near the interfaces) . The peak for tin oxides at the wavenumber of 172 cm −1 can overlap with that of CZTSe.…”

Crystallographic Characterisation of Ultra-Thin, or Amorphous Transparent Conducting Oxides—The Case for Raman Spectroscopy

“…Despite the higher growth temperature, there are no indications of Raman modes of either ZnO, nor SnO 2 being present (see reference positions from [45,46] indicated in Figure 5). Alternative intermediate tin oxide phases [47] are also not observed. Assuming the previous findings on the shape of the Raman spectra can be directly applied to samples grown at higher temperatures by spray pyrolysis, the spectra indicate that the Zn content in this specific spray sample is close to x = 0.4.…”