Composition variations in Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films analyzed by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, particle induced X-ray emission, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy

• Particle induced X-ray emission was used to analyze the composition of CZTSe films.
• Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy tends to underestimate the Sn composition.
• Local Raman intensity is related with the composition rather than the crystallinity.

Compositional and structural studies of Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) thin films were carried out by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy. CZTSe thin films with different compositions were deposited on sodalime glass by co-evaporation. The composition of the films measured by two different methods, EDS and PIXE, showed significant differences. Generally, the Zn/Sn ratio measured by EDS is larger than that measured by PIXE. Both the micro-PIXE and the micro-Raman imaging results indicated the compositional and structural inhomogeneity of the sample.