Anneal techniques for chalcogenide semiconductors

1. A method for forming a chalcogenide semiconductor material, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one sulfur source and at least one selenium source;

heating the at least one sulfur source to form a sulfur-containing vapor;

heating the at least one selenium source to form a selenium-containing vapor;

passing a carrier gas first through the sulfur-containing vapor and then through the selenium-containing vapor, wherein the sulfur-containing vapor and the selenium-containing vapor are transported via the carrier gas to a sample containing at least one precursor component of the chalcogenide semiconductor material; and

contacting the sulfur-containing vapor and the selenium-containing vapor with the sample under conditions sufficient to form the chalcogenide semiconductor material,

further comprising the steps of:

providing an apparatus having a sequence of chambers connected in series such that an outlet of one of the chambers is connected to an inlet of an adjacent one of the chambers in the sequence;

placing the at least one sulfur source in a first chamber in the sequence and the at least one selenium source in a second chamber in the sequence;

heating the at least one sulfur source to form a sulfur-containing vapor in the first chamber;

heating the at least one selenium source to form a selenium-containing vapor in the second chamber;

passing the carrier gas through the sequence of chambers beginning with the first chamber, wherein the first chamber is located before the second chamber in the sequence of chambers such that the carrier gas passes first through the sulfur-containing vapor in the first chamber and then through the selenium-containing vapor in the second chamber and transports the sulfur-containing vapor and selenium-containing vapor through the sequence of chambers to the sample.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

regulating a temperature at which the at least one sulfur source is heated to regulate a sulfur concentration in the carrier gas; and

regulating a temperature at which the at least one selenium source is heated to regulate a selenium concentration in the carrier gas.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the sulfur concentration in the carrier gas and the selenium concentration in the carrier gas are regulated to control a ratio of sulfur to selenium in the sulfur-containing vapor and the selenium-containing vapor contacted with the sample.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sulfur source comprises elemental sulfur.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one selenium source comprises elemental selenium.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier gas comprises helium, nitrogen, or argon gas.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

providing at least one tin source;

heating the at least one tin source to form a tin-containing vapor; and

passing the carrier gas in sequence through the sulfur-containing vapor, the selenium-containing vapor, and then the tin-containing vapor, wherein the sulfur-containing vapor, the selenium-containing vapor, and the tin-containing vapor are transported via the carrier gas to the sample; and

contacting the sulfur-containing vapor, the selenium-containing vapor, and the tin-containing vapor with the sample under conditions sufficient to form the chalcogenide semiconductor material.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the step of:

regulating a temperature at which the at least one tin source is heated to regulate a tin concentration in the carrier gas.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one tin source comprises a tin-containing compound selected from the group consisting of: tin (II) sulfide, tin (IV) sulfide, tin sulfoselenide, and combinations comprising at least one of the forgoing compounds.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chalcogenide semiconductor material comprises a kesterite material, and wherein the at least one precursor component of the chalcogenide semiconductor material is selected from the group consisting of: copper, zinc, tin, sulfur, selenium, and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing metals.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chalcogenide semiconductor material comprises a chalcopyrite material, and wherein the at least one precursor component of the chalcogenide semiconductor material is selected from the group consisting of: copper, indium, gallium, sulfur, selenium, and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing metals.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

placing at least one tin source in a third chamber in the sequence;

heating the at least one tin source to form a tin-containing vapor in the third chamber;

passing the carrier gas through the sequence of chambers beginning with the first chamber, wherein the first chamber is located before the second chamber, and the second chamber is located before the third chamber in the sequence of chambers such that the carrier gas passes first through the sulfur-containing vapor in the first chamber, then through the selenium-containing vapor in the second chamber, and finally through the tin-containing vapor in the third chamber.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of placing the sample in a last chamber in the sequence of chambers.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conditions comprise a temperature of from about 450° C. to about 650° C., and ranges therebetween.