Growth of ZnSnN2 by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Feldberg, Nathaniel; Aldous, James D.; Stampe, P. A.; Kennedy, R. J.; Veal, T. D.; Durbin, Steven M.

doi:10.1007/s11664-013-2962-8

Cited by 29 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Carrier densities were typically greater than 10 20 cm -3 , likely due to poor nitrogen incorporation or the presence of oxygen impurities that are difficult to avoid in nitride materials. [4][5][6]16 However, with the publication of Ref. [17] and the results of the present study, it is now known that carrier densities on the order of 10 17 -10 18 cm -3 are attainable, which approaches a relevant range for PV applications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…This finding is also consistent with previous works achieving c-axis oriented ZnSnN 2 thin films on (111) yttria-stabilized zirconia, GaN, or c-plane sapphire substrates. 5,6,16 …”

Section: Crystal Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 Since then, synthesis of ZnSnN 2 has been reproduced, but questions remain concerning both its structure and its fundamental properties. [4][5][6]16,17 One critical challenge frustrating initial ZnSnN 2 development for optoelectronics was degenerate n-type carrier density consistently found in stoichiometric samples. Carrier densities were typically greater than 10 20 cm -3 , likely due to poor nitrogen incorporation or the presence of oxygen impurities that are difficult to avoid in nitride materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Combinatorial insights into doping control and transport properties of zinc tin nitride

et al. 2015

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. Broader ContextThin film photovoltaics (PV), based on materials that absorb light 10-100 times more efficiently than crystalline silicon, has the potential to drive down PV module cost by increasing efficiency and requiring less raw material. Currently, the market for thin film PV is dominated by CdTe and CuIn x Ga 1-x Se 2 technologies, which suffer from concerns of toxicity (Cd) or rarity (Te, In) when considering terawatt-scale deployment. As an alternative to these technologies, researchers have turned to studying new absorber materials that exhibit equivalent light absorbing properties but are comprised of Earth-abundant elements. In this work, we explore the properties of a thin film III-N analog, ZnSnN 2 , that until recently has received little attention in the literature. Classification as a III-N analog is advantageous for PV applications, considering that III-N materials are well-known for their stability. ZnSnN 2 possesses a direct bandgap and large absorption coefficient in a PV-relevant energy range, in addition to being composed of abundant and non-toxic elements. However, a few key optoelectronic properties (e.g. doping control and exact bandgap) of this material are not well understood. If this challenge is addressed, ZnSnN 2 has excellent potential as an absorber material for Earth-abundant thin film PV. AbstractZnSnN 2 is an Earth-abundant semiconductor analogous to the III-Nitrides with potential as a solar absorber due to its direct bandgap, steep absorption onset, and disorder-driven bandgap tunability. Despite these desirable properties, discrepancies in the fundamental bandgap and degenerate n-type carrier density have been prevalent issues in the limited amount of literature available on this material. Using a combinatorial RF co-sputtering approach, we have been able to explore a growth-temperature-composition space for Zn 1+x Sn 1-x N 2 over the ranges 35-340• C and 0.30-0.75 Zn/(Zn+Sn). In this way, we were able to identify an optimal set of deposition parameters for obtaining as-deposited films with wurtzite crystal structure and carrier density as low as 1.8 x 10 18 cm -3 . Films grown at 230• C with Zn/(Zn+Sn) = 0.60 were found to have the largest grain size overall (70 nm diameter on average) while also exhibiting low carrier density (3 x 10 18 cm -3 ) and high mobility (8.3 cm 2

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…This finding is also consistent with previous works achieving c-axis oriented ZnSnN 2 thin films on (111) yttria-stabilized zirconia, GaN, or c-plane sapphire substrates. 5,6,16 …”

Section: Crystal Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Combinatorial insights into doping control and transport properties of zinc tin nitride

et al. 2015

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“…17 and molecular-beam epitaxy. 18,19 Reactive radio-frequency (RF) sputtering produces films that are more uniform than films fabricated using other methods. In addition, to date, all methods have reported ZnSnN 2 samples that exhibit majority carrier concentrations at or above degenerate doping levels.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, to date, all methods have reported ZnSnN 2 samples that exhibit majority carrier concentrations at or above degenerate doping levels. 18,19 The preparation of sputtered ZnSn x Ge 1−x N 2 alloy films with compositions such that 0.025 < x < 1 and the structural and optoelectronic properties of such films have been described previously. 9 Herein, we describe the preparation of samples with low-Sn content (less than 10% atomic concentration Sn, x = 0.025) and report on the structural and optoelectronic properties of these members of the ZnSn x Ge 1−x N 2 alloy series.…”

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confidence: 99%

Semiconducting ZnSnxGe1−xN2 alloys prepared by reactive radio-frequency sputtering

et al. 2015

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We report on the fabrication and structural and optoelectronic characterization of II-IV-nitride ZnSnxGe1−xN2 thin-films. Three-target reactive radio-frequency sputtering was used to synthesize non-degenerately doped semiconducting alloys having <10% atomic composition (x = 0.025) of tin. These low-Sn alloys followed the structural and optoelectronic trends of the alloy series. Samples exhibited semiconducting properties, including optical band gaps and increasing in resistivities with temperature. Resistivity vs. temperature measurements indicated that low-Sn alloys were non-degenerately doped, whereas alloys with higher Sn content were degenerately doped. These films show potential for ZnSnxGe1−xN2 as tunable semiconductor absorbers for possible use in photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, or optical sensors.

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ZnSnN₂ in Real Space and k‐Space: Lattice Constants, Dislocation Density, and Optical Band Gap

Olsen

Øversjøen

Gogova

et al. 2021

Advanced Optical Materials

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terms of the earth-abundancy of the material. More specifically, Zn-IV-N 2 with IV = Ge, Sn or Si may have a great potential for optoelectronic applications. Indeed, the direct band gap of Zn-IV-N 2 semiconductors may potentially cover the same range as that of the AlN-GaN-InN alloys, [4] and thus have the potential to be tailored to meet application-specific band gap energies. [1][2][3][5][6][7] In particular, ZnSnN 2 exhibits excellent properties for its use as the solar light absorber in photovoltaics and photocatalysts, but is less explored compared to that of ZnSiN 2 and ZnGeN 2 . According to calculations, the most energetically favorable structure for ZnSnN 2 is the orthorhombic Pna2 1 , although the orthorhombic Pmc2 1 structure has also been identified as a possible structure for ZnSnN 2 .

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Growth of ZnSnN2 by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Cited by 29 publications

References 18 publications

Combinatorial insights into doping control and transport properties of zinc tin nitride

Combinatorial insights into doping control and transport properties of zinc tin nitride

Semiconducting ZnSnxGe1−xN2 alloys prepared by reactive radio-frequency sputtering

ZnSnN₂ in Real Space and k‐Space: Lattice Constants, Dislocation Density, and Optical Band Gap

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Growth of ZnSnN2 by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Cited by 29 publications

References 18 publications

Combinatorial insights into doping control and transport properties of zinc tin nitride

Combinatorial insights into doping control and transport properties of zinc tin nitride

Semiconducting ZnSnxGe1−xN2 alloys prepared by reactive radio-frequency sputtering

ZnSnN2 in Real Space and k‐Space: Lattice Constants, Dislocation Density, and Optical Band Gap

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Product

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ZnSnN₂ in Real Space and k‐Space: Lattice Constants, Dislocation Density, and Optical Band Gap