Structural and optical characteristics of antimony selenosulfide thin films prepared by two-step method

Antimony triselenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) is one of the most promising absorber material choices among the inorganic semiconductors that has attracted much attention today. However, highest recorded efficiencies for Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells are still lower than ideal. Exploring antimony selenosulfide (Sb 2 (S x Se 1− x ) 3 ) to increase device performance is one option because some features of alloyed Sb 2 (S x Se 1− x ) 3 depend on composition such as bandgap and band position. In this study, two-step process was used to grow Sb 2 (S x Se 1− x ) 3 thin films. In the first stage, Sb 2 Se 3 thin films were deposited on soda lime glass substrates using direct current magnetron sputtering technique. In the second stage, Sb 2 Se 3 thin films were exposed to sulfurization process in a quartz ampoule to obtain Sb 2 (S x Se 1− x ) 3 thin films. Characterization results showed that morphological, optical, and structural properties of Sb 2 (S x Se 1− x ) 3 thin films grown by presented method were highly dependent on amount of sulfur in the films. By the adjustment of the S/S + Se atomic ratio, Sb 2 (S x Se 1− x ) 3 absorber materials with suitable bandgap, favorable orientation and compact morphology can be obtained for photovoltaic applications.