Antimony Selenide Thin Films by Electrodeposition: Influence of Deposition Conditions and Post‐Deposition Thermal Treatment on Physical and Photoelectrochemical Properties

Abstract

Herein, Sb2Se3 thin films are obtained by the electrodeposition technique from a single bath on fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates. The electrodeposition conditions such as precursor concentration and applied potential, as well as the annealing temperature, and its influence on the structural, morphological, optical, and photoelectrochemical properties are analyzed. From the cyclic voltammetry measurements, the range of deposition potential is established and from the sweep rate variation, an irreversible and diffusion‐controlled process is assumed. With the chronoamperometric curves, an instantaneous nucleation is concluded. The Se/Sb ratio variation of the precursor solutions demonstrate that the 0.7 ratio is optimal to obtain Sb2Se3 stoichiometric thin films. The conductivity decreases with the increase of the deposition potential, while the highest photosensitivity is obtained with the film deposited at −0.75 V versus the saturated calomel electrode. Regarding the annealing temperature, a compact homogeneous film is obtained in the range from 325 to 425 °C. Therefore, the suitable properties of Sb2Se3 films obtained by electrodeposition and the establishment of optimized deposition conditions for its use in photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) are demonstrated.

Growth and Characterization of p-Type and n-Type Sb2Se3 for Use in Thin-Film Photovoltaic Solar Cell Devices

“…Sb 2 Se 2 is a semiconductor material with good optical, electrical, structural, and even magnetic properties, with an earthly abundance of 0.2 ppm Sb and 0.05 ppm Se elements. Sb 2 Se 3 belongs to the family of inorganic binary group V 2 -VI 3 semiconductor materials, mostly referred to as the metal chalcogenides, and has less structural complexity, consists of layered chalcogenide semiconductor that has attracted considerable interest, mainly due to its exceptional thermoelectric [6] and photovoltaic properties, and can be used as photodetectors [7,8]. It has energy bandgaps between 1.10 eV and 1.30 eV, exhibiting band gap tunability property, high optical absorption (>10 5 cm −1 ), high saturated vapor pressure, and low melting point (885 K) [2,5].…”

The Effect of Deposition Time Optimization on the Photovoltaic Performance of Sb2Se3 Thin-Film Solar Cells

“…The bandgap of Sb 2 Se 3 films ranges between 1.1 eV and 1.3 eV, characterized by high short-wavelength light absorption (>10 5 cm −1 ), high electron mobility (10 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ), and low material toxicity [17]. As an emerging solar cell, various manufacturing techniques for Sb 2 Se 3 films have been reported, such as close-spaced sublimation (CSS) [18], chemical molecular beam deposition (CMBD) [19], vapor transport deposition (VTD) [20], and electrodeposition [21]. Additionally, magnetron sputtering [22], chemical bath deposition (CBD) [23], and ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) [24] techniques have been successfully employed in the fabrication processes of antimony selenide solar cells.…”