AUTHOR=Zhao Aimei , Wang Yanping , Li Bing , Xiang Dongmei , Peng Zhuo , Yuan Yujie , Xing Yupeng , Yao Liyong , Bi Jinlian , Li Wei 

TITLE=Sulfurization of Electrodeposited Sb/Cu Precursors for CuSbS2: Potential Absorber Materials for Thin-Film Solar Cells

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Materials

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/materials/articles/10.3389/fmats.2021.818596

DOI=10.3389/fmats.2021.818596

ISSN=2296-8016

ABSTRACT=<p>CuSbS<sub>2</sub>, as a direct bandgap semiconductor, is a promising candidate for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells due to its low grain growth temperature (300°C–450°C). Uniform and highly crystalline CuSbS<sub>2</sub> thin films are crucial to improving device performance. However, uniform CuSbS<sub>2</sub> is difficult to obtain during electrodeposition and post-sulfurization due to the “dendritic” deposition of Cu on Mo substrates. In this study, Sb/Cu layers were sequentially pulse electrodeposited on Mo substrates. By adjusting the pulse parameters, smooth and uniform Sb layers were prepared on Mo, and a flat Cu layer was obtained on Sb without any dendritic clusters. A two-step annealing process was employed to fabricate CuSbS<sub>2</sub> thin films. The effects of temperature on phases and morphologies were investigated. CuSbS<sub>2</sub> thin films with good crystallinity were obtained at 360°C. As the annealing temperature increased, the crystallinity of the films decreased. The CuSbS<sub>2</sub> phase transformed into a Cu<sub>3</sub>SbS<sub>4</sub> phase with the temperature increase to 400°C. Finally, a 0.90% efficient solar cell was obtained using the CuSbS<sub>2</sub> thin films annealed at 360°C.</p>