Issue 36, 2023

Negative-pressure sulfurization of antimony sulfide thin films for generating a record open-circuit voltage of 805 mV in solar cell applications

Abstract

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) has excellent stability and a suitable bandgap for top cell materials in tandem solar cells, attracting intense attention for application in solar cells. However, the complex and unconventional deep-level defects in the quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure of Sb2S3 cause non-radiative recombination, leading to a large open-circuit voltage deficit (VOCD) and posing a significant challenge to improving power conversion efficiency (PCE). This study developed a sulfurization approach at a negative-pressure atmosphere of sulfur (S) for Sb2S3 films. The method could compensate for the S loss in the annealing of Sb2S3 films, transferring them into S-rich states and reducing recombination losses associated with a sulfur vacancy (VS). Simultaneously, the annealing process induced Sb2S3 crystallization with preferential [hk1] orientation, benefiting carrier transport. The reduced deep-level defect and optimized microcrystal orientation enabled a record open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 805 mV in Sb2S3 solar cells. Therefore, this study provided a convenient approach for passivating point defects in metal chalcogenide films and improving VOC in solar cells.

Graphical abstract: Negative-pressure sulfurization of antimony sulfide thin films for generating a record open-circuit voltage of 805 mV in solar cell applications

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
02 Aug. 2023
Accepted
04 Sept. 2023
First published
04 Sept. 2023

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023,11, 19298-19307

Negative-pressure sulfurization of antimony sulfide thin films for generating a record open-circuit voltage of 805 mV in solar cell applications

X. Peng, J. Yang, Q. Zhao, H. Gao, Y. Huang, H. Wang, C. Zhu, R. Tang and T. Chen, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 19298 DOI: 10.1039/D3TA04604D

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