ZnSnN2: A New Earth-Abundant Element Semiconductor for Solar Cells

The Zn-IV-N-2 semiconductor family represents a potential earth abundant element alternative for PV and lighting applications, with a predicted band gap range of similar to 0.6 to similar to 5 eV. While the Ge and Si containing members of the family have been successfully synthesized, little is known about the lower band gap energy members, in particular ZnSnN2. Here, we report the growth of this compound using a plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy technique, and compare experimental optical and structural properties to density functional theory predictions.