Search

Sb 2 Se 3 is a promising absorber for thin film solar cells due to its nontoxicity, low cost, earth abundance and excellent photovoltaic properties. However, few reports focus on Sb 2 Se 3 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Here we successfully deposited Sb 2 Se 3 thin films at different substrate temperatures by PLD. Structural, morphological, compositional, optical and electrical properties of Sb 2 Se 3 thin films were characterized. Results show that Sb 2 Se 3 thin films exhibit orthorhombic phase with good crystallinity and higher substrate temperature can distinctly improve crystal quality. Optical band gap is about 1.30 eV, 1.20 eV, 1.18 eV and 1.16 eV for Sb 2 Se 3 thin films deposited at 370 °C, 390 °C, 410 °C and 430 °C, respectively. In addition, the atomic ratio of selenium to antimony is 3/2, entirely consistent with the stoichiometry ratio of Sb 2 Se 3. Image 1 • Sb 2 Se 3 thin films were prepared on glass at different substrate temperatures by KrF PLD. • The atomic ratio of selenium to antimony was 3/2, entirely consistent with the stoichiometry ratio of Sb 2 Se 3. • Optical band gap was estimated to be 1.30 eV, 1.20 eV, 1.18 eV and 1.16 eV for Sb 2 Se 3 thin films deposited at 370 °C, 390 °C, 410 °C and 430 °C respectively. • High substrate temperature improved crystal quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sb 2 Se 3 , an emerging promising binary compound semiconductor, was prepared at different substrate temperatures by pulsed laser deposition for thin film solar cells for the first time. In this work, CdS and Sb 2 Se 3 films were subsequently deposited by pulsed laser deposition to simplify the process. Film properties and device performance, closely related to the substrate temperature, were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscope, light and dark current density-voltage, external quantum efficiency and capacitance-voltage, respectively. Results indicate that Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells film deposited at 500 °C is better, with a better efficiency of 3.58%. Furthermore, SnO 2 high resistive layer was introduced into Sb 2 Se 3 solar cell to improve the junction quality, leading to a champion device efficiency of 4.41%. Image 1 • CdS/Sb 2 Se 3 bilayer was deposited by pulsed laser deposition for the first time. • Effects of substrate temperature on film properties and device performance were studied. • Sb 2 Se 3 film deposited at 500 °C is more suitable for Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells. • Champion efficiency of 4.41% was achieved due to the insertion of SnO 2 layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] CdTe films were deposited by PLD at high substrate temperatures (400°C, 550°C). [•] CdTe films were achieved under the atmosphere (1.2Torr) of Ar mixed with O2. [•] Deposited CdTe films were cubic phase and had strong (100) preferred orientation. [•] Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed an average grain size of 0.3–0.6μm. [•] The ultra-thin film (CdS/PLD-CdTe) solar cell with efficiency of 6.68% was made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low electric resistive and stable ohmic back contact are crucial to the commercial application of CdTe solar cells. In this study the Sb 2 Te 3 thin film is employed as a buffer layer in the back contact of CdTe solar cells. The Sb 2 Te 3 thin films are deposited at different substrate temperature by pulsed laser deposition and then characterized to investigate the thin film properties, firstly. Hall measurements shows the Sb 2 Te 3 thin film presents strong p-type semiconductor features with high Hall mobility and carrier concentration. CdTe solar cells with Sb 2 Te 3 buffer layer in different layer thickness and deposition temperature are fabricated to obtain the optimal experiment conditions for device performance. The dark J-V curve of CdTe solar cell with Sb 2 Te 3 buffer layer exhibits a typical diode curve without roll-over phenomenon. An insertion of Sb 2 Te 3 buffer layer eliminates the Schottky barrier resulting in remarkable enhancement of open circuit voltage, short-circuit current and fill factor. Besides, the external quantum efficiency gets improvement in almost all of the absorber wavelength compared to the cells with Au-only contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuSbSe 2 has been a potential absorber layer for thin film solar cells by reason of its attractive photovoltaic properties and environmentally friendly constituent elements. In this work, high-quality CuSbSe 2 thin film was prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and further in-situ annealing. Structural, morphological, compositional and optical properties of the unannealed and annealed films were characterized and compared separately. The results proved the existence of CuSbSe 2 , Sb 2 Se 3 and Cu 3 SbSe 3 in the unannealed film. With the rising of deposition temperature, the content of Sb 2 Se 3 increased significantly. Moreover, in-situ annealing at 350 °C can effectively reduce the Sb 2 Se 3 and Cu 3 SbSe 3 in the film. The atomic ratio of Cu:Sb:Se in the annealed film is estimated to be 25.45:26.29:48.27, basically consistent with the stoichiometry ratio of CuSbSe 2. Both annealed and unannealed CuSbSe 2 films revealed a high absorption coefficient greater than 104 cm−1. The optical band gap of the annealed film was about 1.15eV, which meets the requirements for the absorber layer of solar cells. •High-quality CuSbSe 2 thin film was successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition •The effect of deposition temperature on CuSbSe 2 thin film prepared by pulsed laser deposition was explored •In-situ annealing was applied to reduce impurities and promote the formation of CuSbSe 2 •It would be helpful for the applications of CuSbSe 2 in solar cells in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]