Reactively Sputtered Cu2ZnTiS4 Thin Film as Low-Cost Earth-Abundant Absorber

Cu2ZnTiS4 thin films have been deposited on glass by the reactive cosputtering technique with high-purity ZnS and Cu and Ti metals as targets and H2S as reactive gas. Cu2ZnTiS4 thin films were obtained at various temperatures and H2S flows and were annealed in H2S atmosphere. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the Cu2ZnTiS4 thin films were examined by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Agglomeration was found to increase with increasing temperature. The XRD peaks of the Cu2ZnTiS4 thin films were consistent with those of Cu2ZnSnS4. Furthermore, the optical bandgaps of the Cu2ZnTiS4 films were lower than those of conventional Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films.