Influence of sulfurization process in tin sulfide and sulfur mixed vapors on the morphology of Cu₂SnS₃ thin films

Abstract Cu 2 SnS 3 (CTS) is expected to be an absorber material for next-generation solar cells because it is composed of nontoxic, low-cost elements and has an absorption coefficient of >10 4 cm −1 . In this study, the effects of sulfurization in tin sulfide (Sn x S y ) and S mixed vapors on various properties of CTS were investigated by using a 3-zone tube furnace to suppress carrier recombination at the grain boundaries and control the composition of the CTS. The CTS deposited via sulfurization in S vapor only (1-zone CTS) contained different monoclinic and tetragonal CTS structures. The grain size of the CTS thin films deposited via sulfurization in Sn x S y and S mixed vapors was not increased. On the other hand, crystal structure analysis revealed that the CTS had grown to single-phase monoclinic CTS. The results suggest that precipitation in Sn x S y and S mixed vapors contributes to the growth of monoclinic CTS with suitable power-generation characteristics. This finding is important for realizing high-efficiency CTS-based solar cells.