Sb₂ Se₃ Thin-Film Solar Cells Exceeding 10% Power Conversion Efficiency Enabled by Injection Vapor Deposition...

Binary Sb₂ Se₃ semiconductors are promising as the absorber materials in inorganic chalcogenide compound photovoltaics due to their attractive anisotropic optoelectronic properties. However, Sb₂ Se₃ solar cells suffer from complex and unconventional intrinsic defects due to the low symmetry of the quasi-1D crystal structure resulting in a considerable voltage deficit, which limits the ultimate power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this work, the creation of compact Sb₂ Se₃ films with strong [00l] orientation, high crystallinity, minimal deep level defect density, fewer trap states, and low non-radiative recombination loss by injection vapor deposition is reported. This deposition technique enables superior films compared with close-spaced sublimation and coevaporation technologies. The resulting Sb₂ Se₃ thin-film solar cells yield a PCE of 10.12%, owing to the suppressed carrier recombination and excellent carrier transport and extraction. This method thus opens a new and effective avenue for the fabrication of high-quality Sb₂ Se₃ and other high-quality chalcogenide semiconductors.