Preparation and characterization of electrodeposited Sb2Se3 thin films from non-aqueous media

Semiconducting Sb2Se3 thin films have been prepared onto the stainless steel and F doped tin oxide coated glass substrates from non-aqueous media using an electrodeposition technique. The electrodeposition potentials for different bath compositions and concentrations of solution have been estimated from the polarization curves. SbCl3 and SeO2 in the volumetric proportion as 1:1 with their equimolar solution concentration of 0.05M form good quality films. The films are characterized by SEM, XRD and optical absorption techniques. The SEM studies show that the film covers the total substrate surface with uneven surface morphology. The XRD patterns of the films obtained by varying compositions and concentrations show that the as-deposited films are polycrystalline with relatively higher grain size for 1:1 composition and 0.05M concentration. The optical band gap energy for indirect transition in Sb2Se3 thin films is 1.195 eV. 19 refs.