Sb2Se3 Thin‐Film Solar Cells Exceeding 10% Power Conversion Efficiency Enabled by Injection Vapor Deposition Technology

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 34; no. 30
• Main Authors: Duan, Zhaoteng, Liang, Xiaoyang, Feng, Yang, Ma, Haiya, Liang, Baolai, Wang, Ying, Luo, Shiping, Wang, Shufang, Schropp, Ruud E. I., Mai, Yaohua, Li, Zhiqiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.07.2022
• Subjects: Antimony compounds; Carrier recombination; Carrier transport; Chalcogenides; Crystal defects; Crystal structure; Energy conversion efficiency; injection vapor deposition; Materials science; Optoelectronics; Photovoltaic cells; Radiative recombination; Sb 2Se 3; Selenides; Solar cells; Sublimation; Thin films; thin‐film solar cells; Vapor deposition
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202202969

Binary Sb2Se3 semiconductors are promising as the absorber materials in inorganic chalcogenide compound photovoltaics due to their attractive anisotropic optoelectronic properties. However, Sb2Se3 solar cells suffer from complex and unconventional intrinsic defects due to the low symmetry of the quasi‐1D crystal structure resulting in a considerable voltage deficit, which limits the ultimate power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this work, the creation of compact Sb2Se3 films with strong [00l] orientation, high crystallinity, minimal deep level defect density, fewer trap states, and low non‐radiative recombination loss by injection vapor deposition is reported. This deposition technique enables superior films compared with close‐spaced sublimation and coevaporation technologies. The resulting Sb2Se3 thin‐film solar cells yield a PCE of 10.12%, owing to the suppressed carrier recombination and excellent carrier transport and extraction. This method thus opens a new and effective avenue for the fabrication of high‐quality Sb2Se3 and other high‐quality chalcogenide semiconductors. An injection vapor deposition (IVD) technology is designed and demonstrated. The IVD produces compact antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) films with high orientation preference, fewer deep‐level trap levels, and suppressed non‐radiative recombination, achieving a record power conversion efficiency of 10.12% for Sb2Se3 photovoltaics.