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 ~0.6 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 ZnSnN 2 . 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.