@article{fb2a65c9904d406da0d6d33343d79274,
title = "Towards defect-free thin films of the earth-abundant absorber zinc phosphide by nanopatterning",
abstract = "Large-scale deployment of thin-film photovoltaics will be facilitated through earth-abundant components. Herein, selective area epitaxy and lateral overgrowth epitaxy are explored for the growth of zinc phosphide (Zn3P2), a promising earth-abundant absorber. The ideal growth conditions are elucidated, and the nucleation of single-crystal nanopyramids that subsequently evolve towards coalesced thin-films is demonstrated. The zinc phosphide pyramids exhibit room temperature bandgap luminescence at 1.53 eV, indicating a high-quality material. The electrical properties of zinc phosphide and the junction with the substrate are assessed by conductive atomic force microscopy on n-type, p-type and intrinsic substrates. The measurements are consistent with the p-type characteristic of zinc phosphide. Overall, this constitutes a new, and transferrable, approach for the controlled and tunable growth of high-quality zinc phosphide, a step forward in the quest for earth-abundant photovoltaics.",
author = "\{Escobar Steinvall\}, Simon and Stutz, \{Elias Z.\} and Rajrupa Paul and Mahdi Zamani and Dzade, \{Nelson Y.\} and Valerio Piazza and Martin Friedl and \{De Mestral\}, Virginie and Leran, \{Jean Baptiste\} and Zamani, \{Reza R.\} and \{Fontcuberta I Morral\}, Anna",
note = "Funding Information: We acknowledge Didem Dede, Nicholas Morgan and Wonjong Kim for helpful discussions regarding SAE and the substrate patterning procedures. We thank CMi, and in particular Zdenek Benes for support with mask fabrication. Victor Boureau and Lucie Navratilova at EPFL-CIME are acknowledged for technical support with GPA and FIB, respectively. S. E. S., E. Z. S., R. P., M. Z., J.-B. L., and A. F. i M. were supported by SNSF Consolidator grant BSCGI0-157705 and the Max-Planck-EPFL-Center for Molecular Nanoscience and Technology. N. Y. D. acknowledges the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding (Grant No. EP/S001395/1). V. P. was supported by Piaget. M. F. and A. F. i M. were supported by the NCCR QSIT. R. R. Z. was supported by EPFL-CIME. The DFT calculations were performed using the computational facilities of the Advanced Research Computing @ Cardiff (ARCCA) Division, Cardiff University. Funding Information: We acknowledge Didem Dede, Nicholas Morgan and Wonjong Kim for helpful discussions regarding SAE and the substrate patterning procedures. We thank CMi, and in particular Zdenek Benes for support with mask fabrication. Victor Boureau and Lucie Navr{\'a}tilov{\'a}at EPFL-CIME are acknowledged for technical support with GPA and FIB, respectively. S. E. S., E. Z. S., R. P., M. Z., J.-B. L., and A. F. i M. were supported by SNSF Consolidator grant BSCGI0-157705 and the Max-Planck-EPFL-Center for Molecular Nanoscience and Technology. N. Y. D. acknowledges the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding (Grant No. EP/S001395/1). V. P. was supported by Piaget. M. F. and A. F. i M. were supported by the NCCR QSIT. R. R. Z. was supported by EPFL-CIME. The DFT calculations were performed using the computational facilities of the Advanced Research Computing @ Cardiff (ARCCA) Division, Cardiff University. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Royal Society of Chemistry.",
year = "2021",
month = jan,
day = "21",
doi = "10.1039/d0na00841a",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "3",
pages = "326--332",
journal = "Nanoscale Advances",
issn = "2516-0230",
publisher = "Royal Society of Chemistry",
number = "2",
}