Ag2CdSnS4 single crystals as promising materials for optoelectronic

Single crystals of the quaternary single crystals Ag2CdSnS4 were grown for the first time using the horizontal gradient freeze technique. Optical spectral and photoelectric properties of obtained crystals were investigated. The band gap energy at 77 K according to the photoconductivity spectra is 1.94 eV. The energy levels of the major donor centers in the band gap were determined. The role of intrinsic defects in the observed dependences is analyzed. The energy levels of the major donor centers in the band gap were determined. A small photoconductivity maximum at low temperature is observed at wavelength lambda(m) = 640 nm (h nu similar to 1.94 eV): situated in the fundamental absorption band, which unambiguously corresponds to the intrinsic origin of photoconductivity. The increase of the extrinsic photoconductivity with the maximum at lambda(m) similar to 800 nm with temperature leads to its domination above 240 K. The observed peculiarity can be explained by the photoexcitation of electrons from the valence band to the donor centers which are empty at high temperatures and with further thermal excitation to the conduction band. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.