Synthesis of Some Ternary Metal Oxides and Sulphides Nanostructures Thin Films For Photovoltaic Applications

Abstract

Abstract In this study, thin films of prepared materials (Cd2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4) were deposited via spray pyrolysis at temperatures (450, 500, and 550 􀔨), while thin films of prepared materials (Cu2SnS3 and CuZnS) were deposited using spin coating at temperatures (2000, 250, and 300 􀔨). The materials NPs (Cd2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4) were prepared at temperatures of (550 􀔨) while the materials (Cu2SnS3 and CuZnS) were prepared at temperatures of (300 􀔨) using the autocombostion sol-gel method. The structural, optical, and electrical (Hall effect) properties of the obtained thin films were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrated that the films prepared by spray pyrolysis method Cd2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4are polycrystalline with a cubic structure (Spinel), whereas the films prepared by spin coating Cu2SnS3 are polycrystalline with a tetragonal structure and a hexagonal structure of CuZnS, and that an increase in substrate temperature increased the crystal size. Using the Scherer formula, the crystal sizes of (Cd2SnO4, Zn2SnO4, Cu2SnS3, and CuZnS) were determined to be 43.8 nm, 22.0 nm, 22.5 nm, and 37.2 nm, respectively. The X-ray diffraction results further revealed that all sol-gel-prepared films of Cd2SnO4, Zn2SnO4, Cu2SnS3, and CuZnS are polycrystalline with a cubic structure. The FTIR spectra indicated the formation of the materials and the presence of broad vibration peaks (O-H) via spray pyrolysis and spin coating methods. The existence of nanostructures in the thin films prepared with (XRD, AFM and FE-SEM) techniques was confirmed as the results of atomic force I microscopy.(AFM).measurements.demonstrated.a.clear.temperature.dependence in the values of grain size, surface roughness, and the square root of the mean roughness with the substrate. Through the use of thermal evaporation and spin coating methods . The optical characteristics were investigated by recording the spectrum absorbance and transmittance over a range of wavelengths (300-900 nm). Thin films of Cd2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4 demonstrated a decrease in absorption with rising transmittance values and an increase in wavelength. The results also demonstrated an increase in the values of the absorption coefficient with an increase in the substrate temperature, an increase in the absorption of the films with a decrease in the transmittance values, and an increase in the wavelength of Cu2SnS3 and CuZnS. For the films prepared by spin coating method. It showed that the energy gap values increase with the increase in the substrate temperature of the films prepared by spray pyrolysis method Cd2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4 their energy gap values were 2.75 eV and 3.30 eV at 550 oC, respectively..The.energy.gap.of.each.of.Cu2SnS3.and.CuZnS.was.also.measured, and it was found to be equal to eV1.65 and eV1.80, respectively, at a temperature of 300 oC, which was prepared by spin coating method. The Hall effect results demonstrated that increasing the substrate temperature improves the electrical properties of all films, with Cu2SnS3 having the highest electrical conductivity at 1.001 x 106 (Ω .cm)-1, which was offset by an increase in the concentration of charge carriers of 1.23 x 1023 (cm)-3 and a decrease in electrical resistivity of 9.987 x 10-7 (Ω .cm) . Cd2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4 were subsequently deposited on porous silicon by the spray pyrolysis method, while Cu2SnS3 and CuZnS were deposited via the spin coating method. And Cd2SnO4, Zn2SnO4, Cu2SnS3, and CuZnS were deposited using the drop-casting method (1μm thick porous silicon). Then, using spray pyrolysis, aluminum was deposited as a conducting electrode on the back face of the silicon cell. The features of the solar cell and photodetector were I subsequently evaluated. The parameters of the photovoltaic current density (I-V) curves of manufactured solar cells were measured under 100mW/m2 of simulated solar light. The parameters (open-circuit voltage VOC), (closed-circuit current ISC), (fill factor FF %), and (solar cell efficiency ɳ %) were determined. The thin films that were deposited by spin coating method offered the maximum performance, and its value was (4.7%).For heterogeneous junctions (CuZnS)/PSi/n-Si/Al, and the results indicated that the drop-casting approach had a major role in enhancing the performance of the solar cell. The heterojunctions (Cu2SnS3)/PSi/n-Si/Al produced the greatest efficiency value (7.80 %). The spectral response measurements of the prepared photodetectors revealed that they performed within the range of (400-900) nm, which is the maximum spectral response value for heterogeneous junction (CuZnS) PSi / n- Si / Al that can be employed for near-infrared photodetector applications. The red and visible spectrum, where the spectral response (Rλ) and specificity detection (D*) of CuZnS/PSi/n-Si/Al photodetectors are approximately (0.60A/W) and (9.2x1012 cm Hz1/2 W-1) at λ~ 450 nm, respectively.