Impact of sulfur composition on tin sulfide for enhancing photo voltaic cell efficiency
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Mar 26, 2025
Photo voltaic cells convert daylight into clear vitality – but when the photo voltaic cells themselves are fabricated from poisonous supplies, it nearly defeats the aim. That is the place tin sulfide (SnS) is available in. SnS is an environmentally pleasant, naturally ample, and comparatively cheap semiconductor materials that could be a promising candidate to be used in photo voltaic cells and thermoelectric conversion units.
With a view to enhance its efficiency in these functions, researchers from Tohoku College systematically investigated how deviations within the 1:1 ratio of Sn to S affect {the electrical} properties and morphology of SnS skinny movies. Till now, reaching exact compositional management of this ratio throughout thin-film deposition has been a significant problem because of the excessive volatility of sulfur.
The analysis workforce, led by Issei Suzuki (senior assistant professor) and Taichi Nogami (PhD candidate), developed a novel sulfur plasma-assisted sputtering technique to exactly management the sulfur content material in SnS skinny movies. In typical sputtering, a SnS sintered goal is atomized and deposited onto a substrate. On this research, the researchers launched plasma-activated sulfur into this course of, enabling exact compositional management of SnS. Utilizing this strategy, they fabricated p-type SnS skinny movies with Sn:S ratios of 1:0.81, 1:0.96, 1:1, and 1:1.04 and analyzed their structural and electrical properties.
“We discovered that even barely altering the composition of Sn and S considerably affected the morphology,” explains Suzuki. Particularly, the research discovered that sulfur-rich compositions (S > 50%) result in a drastic enhance in provider density, whereas sulfur-deficient compositions (S < 50%) exhibit nearly no change in provider density. Moreover, non-stoichiometric movies exhibited tough and porous morphologies, whereas stoichiometric SnS skinny movies (1:1) displayed a dense construction with excessive gap mobility, making them extremely appropriate for photo voltaic cell functions.
This analysis highlights the vital significance of exact sulfur content material management in SnS skinny movies and provides useful insights for enhancing their electrical efficiency and structural integrity. This builds on earlier findings by Suzuki and Nogami et al. that examined a distinct sort of SnS skinny movie. These findings are anticipated to contribute to the sensible software of SnS in next-generation vitality conversion units.
“The subsequent step will probably be to combine these optimized SnS skinny movies into high-efficiency photo voltaic cells,” says Nogami, “We wish to fine-tune their efficiency and scalability so it may well doubtlessly be used to generate clear vitality and assist battle local weather change.”
Analysis Report:Non-stoichiometry in SnS: How it affects thin-film morphology and electrical properties
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