Close Space Sublimation Growth of Sb<sub>2</sub>(S,Se)<sub>3</sub> Thin-Film Solar Cells.


Sindi, Daniya A, Shalvey, Thomas P ORCID: 0000-0002-6008-7561, Smiles, Matthew J, Veal, Tim D ORCID: 0000-0002-0610-5626, Bowen, Leon and Major, Jonathan D ORCID: 0000-0002-5554-1985 (2025) Close Space Sublimation Growth of Sb<sub>2</sub>(S,Se)<sub>3</sub> Thin-Film Solar Cells. ACS applied materials & interfaces, 17 (42). pp. 58398-58407. ISSN 1944-8244, 1944-8252

Access the full-text of this item by clicking on the Open Access link.

Abstract

This study reports the synthesis and characterization of Sb<sub>2</sub>(S,Se)<sub>3</sub> thin films for thin-film photovoltaics via a single-source close space sublimation (CSS) approach. We demonstrate power conversion efficiencies of up to 4.3% with notable improvements in open-circuit voltage (<i>V</i><sub>oc</sub> >490 mV) compared to those of Sb<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub> equivalents. Secondary ion mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and cross-sectional scanning and transmission electron microscopies identified some issues in controlling film stoichiometry, particularly with sulfur loss, leading to oxide formation and elevated series resistance, reducing the fill factor in completed devices. We also identify clear discrepancies between the determined bandgap, sulfur content inferred from X-ray diffraction analysis, and sulfur content of the synthesized source material. We conclude that while CSS is a promising method for Sb<sub>2</sub>(S,Se)<sub>3</sub> film fabrication, addressing sulfur loss during deposition is crucial to achieving further improvements in device efficiency.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: antimony chalcogenide, close space sublimation, solar cell, sublimation, thin film
Divisions: Faculty of Science & Engineering
Faculty of Science & Engineering > School of Physical Sciences
Faculty of Science & Engineering > School of Physical Sciences > Physics
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 13 Oct 2025 08:04
Last Modified: 25 Oct 2025 14:21
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5c10627
Open Access URL: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.5c10627
Related Websites:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3194807
Altmetric
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)