The novel semiconductor Zn₂SbN₃ is one of a growing list of ternary nitrides with promise for optoelectronic and energy applications. Previous work by Arca et al. [Materials Horizons, 2019, 6, 1669–1974] first reported synthesis of this material, but did not explore the effects of growth conditions on material formation. In this work, we present a semi-automated study of the relationship between growth conditions and crystallinity via high-throughput RF sputtering and a custom X-ray diffraction analysis routine. Zn₂SbN₃ is found to crystallize in a wide range of growth conditions, and the formation of several contaminant phases is examined. Electron microscopy of these secondary phases, caused both by off-stoichiometry and by growth conditions, provides insight into the growth mechanisms of Zn₂SbN₃. Computational work relates this material to other Zn-based ternary nitrides and offers an explanation for the difficulty of growing cation-ordered material despite the wide range of growth conditions explored.

中文翻译：

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探索新型半导体氮化物 Zn2SbN3 的相空间

新型半导体 Zn ₂ SbN ₃是越来越多的三元氮化物之一，有望用于光电和能源应用。Arca等人以前的工作。[ Materials Horizo​​ns , 2019, 6 , 1669–1974] 首次报道了这种材料的合成，但没有探讨生长条件对材料形成的影响。在这项工作中，我们通过高通量 RF 溅射和定制的 X 射线衍射分析程序，对生长条件和结晶度之间的关系进行了半自动研究。Zn ₂ SbN ₃发现在广泛的生长条件下结晶，并检查了几种污染物相的形成。这些由非化学计量和生长条件引起的第二相的电子显微镜检查提供了对 Zn ₂ SbN ₃生长机制的深入了解。计算工作将这种材料与其他锌基三元氮化物联系起来，并解释了尽管探索了广泛的生长条件，但仍难以生长阳离子有序材料。