Fabrication and characterization of ZnSnxGe1−xN2 alloys for light absorbers

The II-IV-nitrides are an alloy series analogous to the well-characterized III-nitrides, where a Group II and Group IV element replace the Group III element. We report on the fabrication and structural and optoelectronic characterization of earth-abundant II-IV-nitrides: ZnSn
_x
Ge
_1-x
N
₂
. The sputtered thin-films show potential for ZnSn
_x
Ge
_1-x
N
₂
to be tunable semiconductor photovoltaic absorber materials.