Reversible hydrogen incorporation was recently attested [N. Lu, $textit{et al.}$, Nature $textbf{546}$, 124 (2017)] in ${text{SrCo}text{O}_{2.5}}$, the brownmillerite phase (BM) of strontium cobalt oxide (SCO), opening new avenues in catalysis and en
ergy applications. However, existing theoretical studies of BM-SCO are insufficient, and that of ${text{HSrCo}text{O}_{2.5}}$, the newly-reported hydrogenated SCO (H-SCO), is especially scarce. In this work, we demonstrate how the electron-counting model (ECM) can be used in understanding the phases, particularly in explaining the stability of the oxygen-vacancy channels (OVCs), and in examining the Co valance problem. Using density-functional theoretical (DFT) methods, we analyze the crystalline, electronic, and magnetic structures of BM- and H-SCO. Based on our structure search, we discovered stable phases with large bandgaps (> 1 eV) for both BM-SCO and H-SCO, agreeing better with experiments on the electronic structures. Our calculations also indicate limited charge transfer from H to O that may explain the special stability of the H-SCO phase and the reversibility of H incorporation observed in experiments. In contrary to the initial study, our calculation also suggests intrinsic antiferromagnetism (AFM) of H-SCO, showing how the measured ferromagnetism (FM) has possible roots in hole doping.
In-growth or post-deposition treatment of $Cu_{2}ZnSnS_{4}$ (CZTS) absorber layer had led to improved photovoltaic efficiency, however, the underlying physical mechanism of such improvements are less studied. In this study, the thermodynamics of Na a
nd K related defects in CZTS are investigated from first principle approach using hybrid functional, with chemical potential of Na and K established from various phases of their polysulphides. Both Na and K predominantly substitute on Cu sites similar to their behavior in $Cu(In,Ga)Se_{2}$, in contrast to previous results using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). All substitutional and interstitial defects are shown to be either shallow levels or highly energetically unfavorable. Defect complexing between Na and abundant intrinsic defects did not show possibility of significant incorporation enhancement or introducing deep n-type levels. The possible benefit of Na incorporation on enhancing photovoltaic efficiency is discussed. The negligible defect solubility of K in CZTS also suggests possible surfactant candidate.
Based on the density functional theory with hybrid functional approach, we have studied the structural and thermodynamic stabilities of Cu2MSnX4 (M = Zn, Mg, and Ca; X = S and Se) alloy, and have further investigated the electronic and optical proper
ties of stable Cu2MgSnS4 and Cu2MgSnSe4 phases. Thermal stability analysis indicates that Cu2MgSnS4 and Cu2MgSnSe4 are thermodynamically stable, while Cu2CaSnS4 and Cu2CaSnSe4 are unstable. The ground state configuration of the compound changes from kesterite into stannite structure when Zn atoms are substitued by larger Mg or Ca atoms. An energy separation between stannite and kesterite phase similar to that of CZTS is observed. Calculated electronic structures and optical properties suggest that Cu2MgSnS4 and Cu2MgSnSe4 can be efficient photovoltaic materials.
Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is a promising photovoltaic absorber material with earth abundant and nontoxic elements. However, the detrimental native defects and secondary phases of CSTS will largely reduce the energy conversion efficiencies. To understand the o
rigin of these problems during the growth of CZTS, we investigated the kinetic processes on CZTS (-1-1-2) surface, using first principles calculations. A surface Zn atom was found to occupy the subsurface Cu site easily due to a low reaction barrier, which may lead to a high ZnCu concentration and a secondary phase of ZnS. These n-type defects may create deep electron traps near the interface and become detrimental to device performance. To reduce the population of ZnCu and the secondary phase, we propose to use K as a surfactant to alter surface kinetic processes. Improvements on crystal quality and device performance based on this surfactant are consistent with early experimental observations.
Determining accurate absolute surface energies for polar surfaces of semiconductors has been a great challenge in decades. Here, we propose pseudo-hydrogen passivation to calculate them, using density functional theory approaches. By calculating the
energy contribution from pseudo-hydrogen using either a pseudo molecule method or a tetrahedral cluster method, we obtained (111) surfaces energies of Si, GaP, and ZnS with high self-consistency. This method quantitatively confirms that surface energy is determined by the number and the energy of dangling bonds of surface atoms. Our findings may greatly enhance the basic understandings of different surfaces and lead to novel strategies in the crystal growth.
