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Substrate and Cu concentration-dependent physical properties of spray-deposited Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films: a comparative study

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Abstract

The physical and optical properties of thin films strongly depend on the film deposition techniques. In this research, Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were prepared using the sol–gel method and deposited on three kinds of substrates (glass, indium-doped tin oxide (ITO), and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)) by the simple spray pyrolysis method. The influence of the substrate and Cu concentration (0.1 and 0.07 mol/L) on the physical properties of the prepared thin films was examined. The study of X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigation showed that all CZTS thin films possess a single-phase kesterite crystal structure. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images showed that the surface of the films was uniform, dense, and had almost no voids, and the particle size of the prepared thin film with the substrate (ITO) was larger than the other samples. The prepared films exhibited an optical band gap ranging from 2 to 2.4 eV. The lowest and highest values of the optical gap correspond to the film with the substrate (ITO) having a lower Cu concentration and the prepared film with the glass substrate having a higher Cu concentration, respectively. The electrical properties and sheet resistance of CZTS thin films were investigated. The best results in terms of electrical properties were related to the ITO substrate with a Cu concentration of 0.1 mol/L. A photoluminescence study showed that the strongest emission peak in the 700–800 nm region was observed for CZTS thin film on ITO substrate. Obtained results indicating the possibility of using the CZTS thin films for efficient and low-cost solar cell and optical applications. Our findings demonstrate that ITO serves as a superior substrate for CZTS fabrication at room temperature. Our results provide an overview of the feasibility of manufacturing optoelectronic devices based on CZTS thin film. Substrate selection is critical in many applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Physics, Semnan University, P.O. Box: 35195 363, Semnan, Iran

    Sadegh Azadmehr & Majid Jafar Tafreshi

  2. School of Physics, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran

    Sadegh Azadmehr & Mohammad Reza Fadavieslam

  3. Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan, 35131-19111, Iran

    Sanaz Alamdari

Authors
  1. Sadegh Azadmehr
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  2. Mohammad Reza Fadavieslam
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  3. Majid Jafar Tafreshi
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  4. Sanaz Alamdari
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Contributions

Sadegh Azadmehr: Experimental studies, manuscript preparation, characterization analysis; Sanaz Alamdari: Edit & Review of the whole manuscript and characterization results; Majid Jafar Tafreshi: Review and Editing; Mohammad Reza Fadavi Eslam: Supervisor and review.

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Correspondence to Mohammad Reza Fadavieslam or Sanaz Alamdari.

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Azadmehr, S., Fadavieslam, M.R., Tafreshi, M.J. et al. Substrate and Cu concentration-dependent physical properties of spray-deposited Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films: a comparative study. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 35, 855 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-024-12499-3

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