TY - JOUR
T1 - Growth behavior of co-electrodeposited CZTS precursor thin films from acidic baths containing tartaric acid
AU - Beres, M.
AU - Syzdek, J.
AU - Yu, K. M.
AU - Mao, S. S.
N1 - Funding Information:
M.B. was supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) through the National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. KMY acknowledges support by the City University of Hong Kong (project # 9380076 ). The RBS, SEM and electrical characterization were supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2018/1/15
Y1 - 2018/1/15
N2 - We synthesized Cu2ZnSnS4 precursor thin films on Molybdenum-coated soda lime glass substrates using a single-step co-electrodeposition process. The as-deposited films, however, were severely Zn-poor, Sn-rich and S-poor, possessing rough, powdery surface morphologies. In this study, the effects of deposition potential, deposition time, and bath composition on the stoichiometries and morphologies of the as-deposited films are systematically investigated, with the aims to understand the growth behavior and to improve the film properties. The poor morphologies of the initial films are attributed to diffusion-limited growth modes and hydrogen co-evolution. Removal of the tartaric acid from the bath increases the bath pH, decreases the hydrogen evolution reaction, and significantly improves the film compositions and morphologies. Possible mechanisms to describe the observed deposition behavior, morphology trends, and composition trends are discussed.
AB - We synthesized Cu2ZnSnS4 precursor thin films on Molybdenum-coated soda lime glass substrates using a single-step co-electrodeposition process. The as-deposited films, however, were severely Zn-poor, Sn-rich and S-poor, possessing rough, powdery surface morphologies. In this study, the effects of deposition potential, deposition time, and bath composition on the stoichiometries and morphologies of the as-deposited films are systematically investigated, with the aims to understand the growth behavior and to improve the film properties. The poor morphologies of the initial films are attributed to diffusion-limited growth modes and hydrogen co-evolution. Removal of the tartaric acid from the bath increases the bath pH, decreases the hydrogen evolution reaction, and significantly improves the film compositions and morphologies. Possible mechanisms to describe the observed deposition behavior, morphology trends, and composition trends are discussed.
KW - Co-electrodeposition
KW - CuZnSnS
KW - Cyclic voltammetry
KW - Rutherford backscattering
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85034100356
U2 - 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2017.09.071
DO - 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2017.09.071
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85034100356
SN - 0254-0584
VL - 204
SP - 83
EP - 94
JO - Materials Chemistry and Physics
JF - Materials Chemistry and Physics
ER -
