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Cubic and orthorhombic SnS thin‐film absorbers for tin sulfide solar cells
Author(s) -
Nair P. K.,
GarciaAngelmo A. R.,
Nair M. T. S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.201532426
Subject(s) - orthorhombic crystal system , thin film , materials science , band gap , solar cell , tin , zinc sulfide , lattice constant , semiconductor , crystal structure , crystallography , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , optics , chemistry , zinc , physics , metallurgy , diffraction
The tin sulfide solar cell has acquired prominence in recent years. We present the characteristics of two polymorphs of SnS and their perspectives in thin‐film solar cells. Thin‐film SnS with cubic crystalline structure (SnS‐CUB) was obtained via two chemical routes. This semiconductor is distinct from the more common SnS thin films of orthorhombic crystalline structure (SnS‐ORT), also obtained by chemical routes. The SnS‐CUB reported here with a lattice constant a of 11.587 Å replaces the zinc blende structure previously reported for this material with a of 5.783 Å. Thin films of SnS‐CUB have an optical bandgap ( E g ) of 1.66–1.72 eV and electrical conductivity ( σ ) of 10 −6 Ω −1 cm −1 . These characteristics distinguish them from SnS‐ORT presented here with an E g of 1.1 eV and σ typically higher by two orders of magnitude. We discuss the uncertainties that have prevailed in the assignment of crystalline structure for SnS‐CUB and SnS‐ORT. The optical and electrical properties of these two polymorphs of SnS are contrasted in the context of light‐generated current density in solar cells. We conclude that the two SnS polymorphs when considered together as optical absorbers offer wider prospects for tin sulfide thin‐film solar cells.