Effect of deposition time on structural and physical properties of Cu2CdSnS4 thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique: experimental and ab initio study

Cu 2 CdSnS 4 (CCdTS) thin films were synthesized using chemical spray pyrolysis deposition technique. The effect of various deposition times (20, 40, 60 min) on growth of these films was investigated. The as-synthesized Cu 2 CdSnS 4 thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Hall Effect measurements. The XRD pattern of Cu 2 CdSnS 4 structured in stannite phase with preferential orientations along (112) planes. Raman spectrum revealed very strong peak at about 333 cm −1 . The films have the direct optical band gaps of 1.39–1.5 eV. The optimum hole mobility was found to be 3.212 × 10 1 cm 2 v −1 s −1 for the film deposited on 60 min. The electronic structure and optical properties of the stannite structure Cu 2 CdSnS 4 were obtained by ab initio calculations using the Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker method combined with the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA), as well as CPA confirms our results.