No abstract

We have invetigated the synthesis of Cu2-II-IV-S4 quaternary compounds (II=Zn,Cd;IV=Ge,Sn). The single phases were obtained, and melting points and crystal structures of the phases were determined using the differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. Among these compounds, bulk crystals of Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2CdSnS4 were grown by the horizontal gradient freezing method. Optical band gaps of both Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2CdSnS4 were determined by optical absorption measurements to be 1.38 eV.