Sb2Se3 thin film solar cells prepared by pulsed laser deposition.

Sb 2 Se 3 , a very promising absorber layer for thin film solar cells, has attracted more and more attention because of its special structural and optical properties. In this work, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), a simple and effective technique, was used to deposit CdS/Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells for the first time. Results show that the grain size is 200–250 nm, the bandgap is calculated to be 1.21 eV and Sb 2 Se 3 thin film with thickness of 400 nm is more suitable for solar cells. To reduce reflection loss, lattice mismatch and shunt pathways, SnO 2 high resistive layer was introduced into Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells. Due to the introduction of SnO 2 , overall performance, especially J sc , was improved and champion device was achieved with efficiency of 4.77%. Image 1 • Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells were deposited by pulsed laser deposition for the first time. • PLD-Sb 2 Se 3 thin film has a bandgap of 1.21 eV and grain size is 200–250 nm. • PLD-Sb 2 Se 3 with thickness of 400 nm is more suitable for solar cells. • The introduction of SnO 2 improves device performance, especially J sc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]