Oxygen Content Modulation Toward Highly Efficient Sb<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub> Solar Cells

Cao, Zixiu; Wang, Weihuang; Dong, Jiabin; Lou, Licheng; Liu, Huizhen; Wang, Zuoyun; Luo, Jingshan; Liu, Yanyan; Dai, Yumei; Li, Dongmei; Meng, Qingbo

doi:10.1021/acsami.2c18735

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Figure 7 shows the J-V AM1.5 illuminated curve with the corresponding optoelectronic parameters, and the corresponding external quantum efficiency (EQE) for an optimized solar cell device, with a PCE of 5.3%, among the highest reported for Sb 2 Se 3 deposited by a sequential process and substrate configuration devices. 50 − 52 The EQE spectrum shows an improved collection between 500 and 600 nm of the KCN etched device with respect to the reference, which is below the CdS absorption threshold, thus supporting the idea of an improved p–n interface consistent with the buried-junction hypothesis. An improvement in quantum efficiency at high energies is often due to a reduction in p–n interface recombination, where both holes and electrons are generated close to the defective interface.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

KCN Chemical Etching of van der Waals Sb₂Se₃ Thin Films Synthesized at Low Temperature Leads to Inverted Surface Polarity and Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

Jiménez-Guerra,

Calvo-Barrio,

Asensi

et al. 2024

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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Recent developments in Sb 2 Se 3 van der Waals material as an absorber candidate for thin film photovoltaic applications have demonstrated the importance of surface management for improving the conversion efficiency of this technology. Sb 2 Se 3 thin films' versatility in delivering good efficiencies in both superstrate and substrate configurations, coupled with a compatibility with various low-temperature deposition techniques (below 500 °C and often below 350 °C), makes them highly attractive for advanced photovoltaic applications. This study presents a comparative analysis of the most effective chemical etchings developed for related thin film chalcogenide technologies to identify and understand the most appropriate surface chemical treatments for Sb 2 Se 3 in substrate configuration, synthesized using a sequential process at very low temperatures (320 °C). Eight different chemical etchings were tested and investigated, and the results show that only KCN-based solutions lead to an improvement in the solar cell's performance, primarily due to an increase in the fill factor. Surface analysis of the samples shows that KCN etching produces very Sb-rich surfaces that do not affect the properties of the bulk. It is proposed that this Sb-rich interface inverts the surface polarity, creating a "buried junction" with CdS, thereby explaining the improvement of the fill factor of the devices, as confirmed by device modeling. The results of this study underscore the importance of surface management in low-temperature synthesized Sb 2 Se 3 absorbers, where Sb-rich interfaces are crucial for achieving highefficiency devices. This research contributes to ongoing efforts to improve the performance of Sb 2 Se 3 thin film photovoltaic technology and could pave the way for the development of more efficient solar cells with optimized interfaces.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

KCN Chemical Etching of van der Waals Sb₂Se₃ Thin Films Synthesized at Low Temperature Leads to Inverted Surface Polarity and Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

Jiménez-Guerra,

Calvo-Barrio,

Asensi

et al. 2024

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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“…The presence of Sb 2 O 3 at the FTO/Sb 2 Se 3 interface is the key reason for this, where Sb from Sb 2 Se 3 makes van der Waals bonds with oxygen atoms in FTO. A Sb–O bond is formed more easily than a Se–O bond . Additionally, the Sb 2 O 3 phase that developed on the surface of the Sb 2 Se 3 film works as a change in the absorption region (Supporting Information Figure S4), a change in the current flow channel, and increasing current leakage at interfaces significantly .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A Sb−O bond is formed more easily than a Se−O bond. 20 Additionally, the Sb 2 O 3 phase that developed on the surface of the Sb 2 Se 3 film works as a change in the absorption region (Supporting Information Figure S4), a change in the current flow channel, and increasing current leakage at interfaces significantly. 21 Our findings suggest that creating the Sb 2 O 3 phase might result in a Se-poor state, which results in detection in the UV range, unlike the pure Sb 2 Se 3 phase, which detects in the IR range.…”

Section: Photoresponse Device and Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sb₂Se₃ Nanosheet Film-Based Devices for Ultraviolet Photodetection and Resistive Switching

Singh,

Asif,

Kumar

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Nano Mater.

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The development of multifunctional devices could represent a significant advancement in meeting the need for nano and micro technologies. Therefore, we have developed a Ag/Sb 2 Se 3 /FTO-based multifunction device having nanostructures, which works as an ultraviolet (UV) photodetector and a switching device. Our theory suggests how oxygen formation leads to detection in the UV range rather than detection in the infrared range, which is the natural detection range of Sb 2 Se 3 . The m−s−m photodetector device is based on the photoconductive phenomenon, and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy has been extensively used to investigate the charge carrier dynamics of Sb 2 Se 3 films of 500 nm. At two distinct excitations, 375 nm UV and 532 nm visible light, and a pulse energy of 1 J per pulse, the effect of annealing on the charge carrier relaxation of the films was investigated. The kinetics of the hot charge carrier's decay and recombination were studied for both as-grown and annealed films. The proposed theory is analyzed with the help of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory studies. The device shows external quantum efficiency values of 2.9 and 1.3 at 375 and 386 nm, respectively. The rise time to fall time ratio was 0.29/0.30 s at 375 nm irradiation at 2 V bias at a power density of 32 mW/cm 2 . The same device shows bipolar resistive switching, in which resistance shifts from a high resistance state to a low resistance state in a voltage sweep from −1 to 0 V and then 0 to 1 V. The result of the switching phenomenon is reasonably justified by the electrochemical metallization phenomenon. An outstanding accomplishment in electronic devices is combining two different features on a single device.

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“…[15] ITO/CdS/Sb 2 Se 3 /Spiro-OMeTAD/Au achieved an efficiency of 7.27%. [16] The uniqueness of this paper is that it studies the outcomes of the photovoltaic performance of antimony selenide-based devices with ZnSe as an ETL (buffer layer) instead of CdS, and the performance of different HTLs are analyzed by varying the thickness and shallow acceptor concentration of the absorber, buffer, and HTL layers, series and shunt resistance, work function of the metal contact (back) and the temperature of the device with SCAPS-1D software. The comparison of devices with experimental reference of Sb 2 Se 3 /CdS solar cell is also made.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Analysis of CdS‐Free, Sb₂Se₃/ZnSe p–n Junction Cells with Various Hole Transport Layers and Contacts

Kumari,

Mamta,

Chaudhary

et al. 2023

Advcd Theory and Sims

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Sb2Se3, a promising thin‐film photovoltaic (TFPV) absorber material known for its non‐toxic nature, abundance on Earth, and stability has the inherent limitations of low doping density of 1013 cm−3 and poor carrier mobility of 1.5 cm2 V−1 s−1, leading to a low built‐in potential and inefficient carrier collection. To address these challenges and enhance the built‐in potential and carrier collection, an effective hole‐transport layer (HTL), e.g. CdS, which contains toxic components is used. A less‐toxic alternative is explored: ZnSe as the electron‐transport layer (ETL) to mitigate this issue. In this study, the performance is evaluated of Sb2Se3/ZnSe solar cells using six different HTLs (CuSCN, MoSe2, NiO, Spiro‐OMeTAD, SnS, MoOx) through the utilization of the SCAPS‐1D modeling tool. The HTL plays a critical role in improving the effectiveness of the built‐in potential, enhancing carrier collection, and suppressing back surface recombination. The analysis involves varying the thickness and doping concentration of the absorber, buffer, and HTLs, and exploring the impact of temperature, series and shunt resistance, and the metal work function of the back contact. Among the tested devices, the one with NiO as the HTL demonstrates the highest efficiency, exhibiting a VOC (open‐circuit voltage) of 0.81 V and a PCE (power conversion efficiency) of 24.07%.

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Oxygen Content Modulation Toward Highly Efficient Sb₂Se₃ Solar Cells

Cited by 9 publications

References 39 publications

KCN Chemical Etching of van der Waals Sb₂Se₃ Thin Films Synthesized at Low Temperature Leads to Inverted Surface Polarity and Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

KCN Chemical Etching of van der Waals Sb₂Se₃ Thin Films Synthesized at Low Temperature Leads to Inverted Surface Polarity and Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

Sb₂Se₃ Nanosheet Film-Based Devices for Ultraviolet Photodetection and Resistive Switching

Performance Analysis of CdS‐Free, Sb₂Se₃/ZnSe p–n Junction Cells with Various Hole Transport Layers and Contacts

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Oxygen Content Modulation Toward Highly Efficient Sb2Se3 Solar Cells

Cited by 9 publications

References 39 publications

KCN Chemical Etching of van der Waals Sb2Se3 Thin Films Synthesized at Low Temperature Leads to Inverted Surface Polarity and Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

KCN Chemical Etching of van der Waals Sb2Se3 Thin Films Synthesized at Low Temperature Leads to Inverted Surface Polarity and Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

Sb2Se3 Nanosheet Film-Based Devices for Ultraviolet Photodetection and Resistive Switching

Performance Analysis of CdS‐Free, Sb2Se3/ZnSe p–n Junction Cells with Various Hole Transport Layers and Contacts

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Product

Resources

About

Oxygen Content Modulation Toward Highly Efficient Sb₂Se₃ Solar Cells

KCN Chemical Etching of van der Waals Sb₂Se₃ Thin Films Synthesized at Low Temperature Leads to Inverted Surface Polarity and Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

KCN Chemical Etching of van der Waals Sb₂Se₃ Thin Films Synthesized at Low Temperature Leads to Inverted Surface Polarity and Improved Solar Cell Efficiency

Sb₂Se₃ Nanosheet Film-Based Devices for Ultraviolet Photodetection and Resistive Switching

Performance Analysis of CdS‐Free, Sb₂Se₃/ZnSe p–n Junction Cells with Various Hole Transport Layers and Contacts