2025/06/01 by Evgeniia Gilshtein, Gilshtein, Evgeniia, H. M. Gupta +9
Engineering · #Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films #Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2506.01170
openalex publication_date 2025/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We report on the fabrication and optimization of semi-transparent antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) thin-film solar cells in a superstrate configuration, using RF magnetron sputtering of metallic antimony followed by post-deposition sulfurization. The influence of absorber and buffer layer thicknesses on device performance was systematically studied in FTO/CdS/Sb2S3/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au architectures. Optimizing the Sb2S3 absorber thickness to 100 nm yielded a champion device with a power conversion efficiency of 2.76%, short-circuit current density of 14 mA/cm2, and open-circuit voltage of 650 mV. The devices exhibit up to 20% transmittance in the 380--740 nm wavelength range, indicating their suitability for indoor and building-integrated photovoltaic applications. Structural and compositional analyses confirmed high-purity Sb2S3 (more than 90 at.%) and improved crystallinity after sulfurization. These results demonstrate the potential of sputtered Sb2S3 as a scalable and tunable absorber for emerging transparent thin-film solar technologies and highlight the critical role of thickness optimization and interface control in device performance.