Fahad Alnjiman, Jaafar Ghanbaja, Agathe Virfeu, Christophe Longeaud, A. Borroto, Jean-Pierre Vilcot, Christine Gendarme, Sylvie Migot, Leonardo Kopprio, Sylvain Le Gall, Jean-François Pierson, Institut Jean Lamour (IJL), Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), King Saud University [Riyadh] (KSU), Laboratoire Génie électrique et électronique de Paris (GeePs), CentraleSupélec-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520 (IEMN), Centrale Lille-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF)-JUNIA (JUNIA), Université catholique de Lille (UCL)-Université catholique de Lille (UCL), Optoélectronique - IEMN (OPTO - IEMN), INSA Institut National des Sciences Appliquées Hauts-de-France (INSA Hauts-De-France), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520 (IEMN), Université catholique de Lille (UCL)-Université catholique de Lille (UCL)-Centrale Lille-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF)-JUNIA (JUNIA), This work has been funded by the ANR-17-CE05-0022 OPERA project and the Contrat de Plan Etat-Région MatDS. High Per-formance Computing resources were provided by the EXPLOR centre hosted by the universit de lorraine. The Centre de Compétences Daυm, X- and Optique Laser of the Institut Jean Lamour are acknowledged for the access to their equipments. The authors would like to thank E. Gaudry of the Institut Jean Lamour and R. Al Rahal Al Orabi of Solvay, Design and Development of Functional Materials Department, for their computational skills and useful advices., ANR-17-CE05-0022,OPERA,NOuveaux matériaux absorbeurs Pour cEllules solaiRres à base d'éléments Abondants et à faible empreinte environnementale(2017), Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - IEMN (Univ. Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, Junia, UPHF) (IEMN - UMR 8520), Ecole Centrale de Lille-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF)-JUNIA (JUNIA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL), Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie (IEMN) - UMR 8520 (IEMN), JUNIA (JUNIA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Ecole Centrale de Lille-Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF)-Université de Lille, Centrale Lille-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF)-JUNIA (JUNIA)-Centrale Lille-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF)-JUNIA (JUNIA), Institut Jean Lamour [IJL], Laboratoire Génie électrique et électronique de Paris [GeePs], and Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520 [IEMN]
International audience; Zinc tin nitride (ZnSnN2) is a promising semiconductor candidate for solar cell applications and optoelectronic devices. However, the practical use of this material has been limited by several issues as, among others, oxygen contamination, a very high concentration of free carriers and the difficulty to reach the theoretically predicted band gap. Here, we deposit thin films of ZnSnN2 by reactive DC magnetron co-sputtering at room temperature with a RF bias power (Pb) in the range of 0-50 W. Using first principle calculations, we explore the structural and opto-electronic properties that are favorably compared to experimental results. We demonstrate that the optical band gap energy can be decreased from 1.7 eV to 1.34 eV, close to the predicted value of 1.37 eV. The free electron concentration is decreased down to 10 17 cm-3 which results in the reduction of the absorption by free electrons in the IR range. In addition, in a given range of applied bias powers, we observe a densification of the films and a significant decrease of their oxygen contamination from 6.7 down to 2.0 at. %. The study underlines that a value of 20 W power bias leads to the optimal structural, optical and electrical properties. Our results provide an interesting method to obtain a potential candidate for photovoltaic applications, in an environmental friendly way, for a low-cost industrialization.