Efficiency improvement of antimony selenide solar cells based on S-doped SnO2 buffer layer

Antimony Selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) exhibits potential as a solar energy material owing to its optimal bandgap, lack of toxicity, and abundance of earth abundant elements. Currently, cadmium sulfide (CdS) serves as the predominant buffer layer for Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells. However, the use of CdS hinders environmentally friendly advancement due to the toxic properties of the element cadmium. Hence, the quest for non-toxic buffer layers poses a significant challenge to the further advancement of Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells. In prior research, tin oxide (SnO 2 ) has been explored as a buffer layer. Nonetheless, the efficiency of SnO 2 /Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells was hampered by the rough surface of SnO 2 films and the poor crystallinity of Sb 2 Se 3 films. In this investigation, we enhanced device efficiency by improving the uniformity of the SnO 2 surface and enhancing the crystallinity of Sb 2 Se 3 through spin-coating sulfur (S) onto the SnO 2 film. Detailed examinations were conducted on the structure, optical, and electrical properties of the respective SnO 2 and Sb 2 Se 3 thin films. Ultimately, an efficiency of 3.38% was achieved using the spin-coated S:SnO 2 film, marking an 85% enhancement compared to the baseline device.