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ARTICLE

Study of the microstructure of Cu₂SnS₃ films, prepared through sulfurization of metal precursors deposited by magnetron sputtering

S. Petrosyan^a,*, A. Musayelyan^a, E. Zaretskaya^b, V. Gremenok^b,c, K. Buskis^b, A. Stanchik^b,c

a Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics, Alikhanian Brothers str.1, 0203 Ashtarak, Armenia
b Scientific-Practical Materials Research Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 220072, Minsk, Petrus Brovka str. 19, of. 5, Republic of Belarus
c Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 220013, Minsk, Petrus Brovka str. 6, Republic of Belarus

* Corresponding Author:

Chalcogenide Letters 2023, 20(11), 811-820. https://doi.org/10.15251/CL.2023.2011.811

Received 24 August 2023; Accepted 08 November 2023;

Abstract

We present the results of the study of the microstructure, X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering spectra of Cu₂SnS₃ (CTS) films synthesized at 500℃ by the sulfurization of SnCu stacked metal precursors with different annealing time. The results indicate that sulfurization time has a great influence on both composition and morphology of the film. It is shown that the process of formation of a single-phase CTS compound with a monoclinic structure and composition close to stoichiometry is completed for a synthesis time of 60 - 80 min. With an increase in the time of synthesis to 120 min, the preservation of the monoclinic structural modification of the material is observed, accompanied by a shift in the stoichiometric composition, namely copper enrichment, material delamination and degradation of microstructural characteristics. As a result, it was found that the most optimal conditions for the synthesis of a single-phase Cu₂SnS₃ compound of a monoclinic structure are the temperature 500℃ with the duration of the sulfurization process from 60 to 80 min.

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Keywords

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