Correlative and In Situ Microscopy Investigation of Phase Transformation, Crystal Growth, and Degradation of Antimony Sulfide Thin Films

Wu M, Barr M, Koch V, Dierner M, Dierke T, Lu P, Liao PC, Will J, Dunin-Borkowski RE, Maultzsch J, Bachmann J, Spiecker E (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

ACS nano American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c04342

Abstract

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3), a compound of earth-abundant elements with a highly anisotropic, quasi-layered crystal structure, has triggered growing interest as a solar absorber in photovoltaics and as a phase-change material in memory devices. However, challenges remain in achieving high-quality thin films with controlled nucleation and growth for optimal performance. Here, we investigate the phase transformation, crystal structure and properties, as well as the growth and degradation of atomic layer-deposited Sb2S3 thin films using in situ TEM and correlative ex situ analysis. The as-deposited amorphous films crystallized at 243 °C, forming grains with an [100] out-of-plane texture that developed into tens to hundreds of micrometer-long, leaf-shaped grains. Introducing an ultrathin ZnS interfacial layer increased nucleation density, resulting in few-micrometer-sized, more uniform grains while retaining the overall [100] texture. In situ observations and subsequent crystal orientation analysis with cutting-edge 4D-STEM and EBSD revealed that the grains grew faster along the [010] ribbon direction and that the bare films underwent early-stage degradation, forming holes in amorphous regions during annealing. The ZnS interlayer mitigated degradation, stabilizing the films and improving their uniformity. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing Sb2S3 thin films for applications as both solar cell materials and phase-change materials.

Authors with CRIS profile

Mingjian Wu Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung) Maissa Barr Lehrstuhl für Chemistry of thin film materials Vanessa Koch Lehrstuhl für Chemistry of thin film materials Martin Dierner Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung) Tobias Dierke Lehrstuhl für Experimentalphysik Pei-Chun Liao Lehrstuhl für Chemistry of thin film materials Johannes Will Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung) Janina Maultzsch Lehrstuhl für Experimentalphysik Julien Bachmann Lehrstuhl für Chemistry of thin film materials Erdmann Spiecker Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung)

Involved external institutions

Forschungszentrum Jülich / Research Centre Jülich (FZJ) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Wu, M., Barr, M., Koch, V., Dierner, M., Dierke, T., Lu, P.,... Spiecker, E. (2025). Correlative and In Situ Microscopy Investigation of Phase Transformation, Crystal Growth, and Degradation of Antimony Sulfide Thin Films. ACS nano. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c04342

MLA:

Wu, Mingjian, et al. "Correlative and In Situ Microscopy Investigation of Phase Transformation, Crystal Growth, and Degradation of Antimony Sulfide Thin Films." ACS nano (2025).

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