In‐situ XRD on formation reactions of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films

Abstract Starting from stacked binary sulphide precursor layers with copper‐ and zinc‐rich composition the formation of Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (kesterite) has been investigated. Precursors with different layer thicknesses were deposited to evaluate the influence of material transport on the reaction kinetics. During annealing experiments the formation of kesterite in the different precursors was monitored by in‐situ energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction. An evaluation of the reaction rates revealed that at a temperature of 500 °C a kesterite film of 2 μm thickness can be formed within few minutes. The long annealing times reported in literature for well‐performing kesterite photovoltaic absorbers do therefore not owe to a general kinetic limitation for the formation of kesterite thin films. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)