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Synthesis and study of microstructural, optical and electrical properties of Na-doped Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films via thermal evaporation

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Abstract

Non-doped and sodium-doped Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films deposited on heated glass substrates at 100 °C have been successfully fabricated by the thermal evaporation technique, after what all layers were annealed under sulfur atmosphere at 400 °C. The structural properties of all layers were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy methods. These analysis reveals a polycrystalline with kesterite structure and preferential orientation along the (112) plane for all samples. The surface morphology of all samples was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The obtained topographies show an improvement of the crystalline quality of post-sulfurized Na-doped CZTS films. Further, the optical measurement recorded by UV–Vis spectroscopy reveals that the direct band gap energy of post-sulfurized Na-doped CZTS films were in the range of 1.56 eV and 1.61 eV. Electrically, all films show p-type electrical conductivity, measured by the hot probe method. In addition, Hall Effect measurements show that Na-doped CZTS thin films exhibit lower resistivity and mobility, as well as higher carrier concentration, than Non-doped films. We can conclude that doping CZTS with Na makes it a better photovoltaic material, and that it is suitable as an absorber layer.

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Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The authors are grateful to Jérémy Bartringer, from the Spectroscopy Service of the University of Strasbourg-France. Also, the authors are thankful to Pierre Pfeiffer and Jesse Schiffler at I Cube-Laboratory, University of Strasbourg-France for helping in the AFM analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Photovoltaic and Semiconductor Materials Laboratory, National Engineering School of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 1002, Tunis, Tunisia

    M. Marzougui, M. Ben Rabeh & M. Kanzari

  2. I Cube-Laboratory of Engineering Science, Computer Science and Imaging, University of Strasbourg-CNRS, 23, Rue du Loess, 67037, Strasbourg Cedex, France

    F. Antoni

  3. Photovoltaic and Semiconductor Materials Laboratory, Preparatory Institute for Engineering Studies of Tunis, University of Tunis, 1002, Tunis, Tunisia

    M. Kanzari

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MM contributed to conceptualization, methodology, visualization, formal analysis, and writing-original draft, FA has contributed to the conservation of data and resources, MBR contributed to conceptualization, methodology, editing and validation, MK contributed to supervision.

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Marzougui, M., Antoni, F., Ben Rabeh, M. et al. Synthesis and study of microstructural, optical and electrical properties of Na-doped Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films via thermal evaporation. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 35, 11 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11738-3

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