Synthesis and Structural Study of the Cu2ZnSn1 – xSixSe4 System

The quaternary semiconductor compounds Cu2ZnSnSe4, Cu2ZnSiSe4, and Cu2ZnSn1 – xSixSe4 solid solutions on their basis have been synthesized from the elementary components Cu, Zn, Sn, Si, and Se by the single-temperature method. The room- temperature unit-cell parameters of the obtained compounds and solid solutions are determined by the X-ray method. It is established that two series of solid solutions are formed in the Cu2ZnSn1 – xSixSe4 system: one is based on the Cu2ZnSnSe4 compound with a tetragonal structure at x ≤ 0.5 and the other is based on the Cu2ZnSiSe4 compound with a orthorhombic structure at x ≥ 0.7.