The Single Phase Region in Cu₂ZnSnS₄ Thin Films from Theory and Combinatorial Experiments

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is hoped to be a future, earth-abundant absorber material for thin film solar cells, but performance remains below the level needed for commercialization. In this work, the size of the single phase region of CZTS obtained from thin film synthesis methods is explored, to determine the scope available for defect engineering and thereby future improvements in solar cell performance. A chemical model for the single phase region is presented, based on equilibria between defect complexes in the CZTS phase and the other solid- and gas-phase components present during synthesis. The model predicts a variable single phase region size, depending on the partial pressures of SnS and S2. The model is verified by analysis of combinatorial thin-film CZTS samples prepared with different synthetic conditions and characterized by Raman and compositional mapping. We conclude that typical synthesis strategies for CZTS are not capable of accessing the full range of the CZTS single phase region since the required partial pressure of S2 is very large. The important implication is that our understanding of CZTS defect chemistry from experimental studies is incomplete and that scope exists for tuning the defect properties toward better solar cell performance.