Bridgman-grown SbSnSe3 crystal: exploring its potential for thermoelectric and photosensitive applications

Abstract

To the best of our knowledge, no prior reports on growth and characterization of the SbSnSe₃ crystal are available in the literature, making this study the first comprehensive investigation of its structural, optical, thermoelectric, and photoconductive properties. The SbSnSe₃ crystal was grown successfully by the vertical Bridgman technique. The orthorhombic phase of this grown crystal was confirmed through powder X-ray diffraction. Elemental assessment by EDAX reflected the near-stoichiometric composition of the grown crystal, whereas FESEM images illustrated a distinctly layered structure. The reflectance spectrum revealed a direct bandgap of about 1.48 eV, favourable for both photoresponse and thermoelectric applications. Over the range of 300–573 K, the measured Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the SbSnSe₃ crystal exhibited semiconducting behavior. Based on these thermoelectric parameters, a maximum ZT value of 0.04 was obtained. Furthermore, TG-DTG-DTA analysis carried out between 300 K and 880 K revealed a consistent two-step thermal behavior across heating rates of 10, 15, and 20 K min⁻¹, confirming the crystal's excellent thermal stability. Room temperature steady-state I–V analysis conducted under 50 mW cm⁻² illumination showed an anisotropic photoresponse in SbSnSe₃. The ⊥^r configuration exhibited a responsivity of 186.8 μA W⁻¹ and a detectivity of 10.03 × 10⁶ Jones at 10 mV bias, confirming enhanced charge transport efficiency.