Jonathan Scragg documents his work on a very promising material suitable for use in solar cells. Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide (CZTS) is a low cost, earth-abundant material suitable for large scale deployment in photovoltaics. Jonathan pioneered and optimized a low cost route to this material involving electroplating of the three metals concerned, followed by rapid thermal processing (RTP) in sulfur vapour. His beautifully detailed RTP studies - combined with techniques such as XRD, EDX and Raman - reveal the complex relationships between composition, processing and photovoltaic performance. This exceptional thesis contributes to the development of clean, sustainable and alternative sources of energy
Introduction.- Electrodeposition of metallic precursors.- Conversion of precursors into compound semiconductors.- The influences of sulfurisation variables and precursor composition on the development of the CZTS phase.- Opto-electronic properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 films: influences of growth conditions and precursor composition.- Conclusions & recommendations for further studies.
