Band alignment of epitaxial ZnS/Zn₃P₂ heterojunctions

The energy-band alignment of epitaxial zb-ZnS(001)/α-Zn ₃P₂(001) heterojunctions has been determined by measurement of shifts in the phosphorus 2p and sulfur 2p core-level binding energies for various thicknesses (0.6-2.2 nm) of ZnS grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Zn₃P₂. In addition, the position of the valence-band maximum for bulk ZnS and Zn₃P₂ films was estimated using density functional theory calculations of the valence-band density-of-states. The heterojunction was observed to be type I, with a valence-band offset, ΔE_V, of -1.19 ± 0.07 eV, which is significantly different from the type II alignment based on electron affinities that is predicted by Anderson theory. n⁺-ZnS/p-Zn₃P ₂ heterojunctions demonstrated open-circuit voltages of >750 mV, indicating passivation of the Zn₃P₂ surface due to the introduction of the ZnS overlayer. Carrier transport across the heterojunction devices was inhibited by the large conduction-band offset, which resulted in short-circuit current densities of 0.1 mA cm^-2 under 1 Sun simulated illumination. Hence, constraints on the current density will likely limit the direct application of the ZnS/Zn₃P₂ heterojunction to photovoltaics, whereas metal-insulator-semiconductor structures that utilize an intrinsic ZnS insulating layer appear promising.