Optical and electrical properties of the Sb₂(S_xSe_1–x)₃ films for solar cells

Using the thermal evaporation method, Sb₂(S_xSe_1-x)₃ films have been produced from powders of the binary compounds of Sb₂S₃ and Sb₂Se₃ at temperature of the substrate of 300℃. The effect exerted by the elemental composition ratio S/(S+Se) on optical and electric properties of Sb₂(S_xSe_1-x)₃ films has been studied. It has been demonstrated that the band gap width of Sb₂(S_xSe_1-x)₃ films is growing with an increase in the concentration of sulfur in the films produced. It has been found that the synthesized films feature low Urbach energies, offering their low-defect structure. Based on the temperature dependences of resistance, the presence of deep-lying levels within the band gap of synthesized films has been revealed. The activation energy of these deep-lying levels was varying in the range of 0.5–0.8 eV depending on the ratio of the atomic concentration S/(S+Se). These results indicate the possibility of producing effective solar cells based  on Sb₂(S_x,Se_1–x)₃ with the use of thermal evaporation from powders of the binary compounds of Sb₂S₃  and Sb₂Se₃. 

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