High-Efficiency Semitransparent Solar Cells Based on Magnetron Sputtered Sb₂S₃ Thin Films

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Thin-Film Technology

Background:

• Wide-bandgap antimony sulfide (Sb₂S₃) is a promising material for semitransparent building-integrated photovoltaics.
• Radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) is explored as a deposition technique for Sb₂S₃ thin films.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of annealing conditions on Sb₂S₃ thin films for photovoltaic applications.
• To fabricate and optimize semitransparent solar cells using ultrathin Sb₂S₃ absorbers.

Main Methods:

• Impurity-free Sb₂S₃ thin films were prepared using RFMS.
• Detailed characterization of film morphology, crystal structure, composition, and optoelectronic properties.
• Fabrication of semitransparent solar cells with varying Sb₂S₃ thicknesses and electrode/hole transport layer modifications.

Main Results:

• Optimized opaque Sb₂S₃ devices achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.6%.
• Semitransparent solar cells (40-80 nm Sb₂S₃) achieved PCEs of 2.0-3.2% with average visible transmittance (AVT) of 10.0-15.5%.
• Enhanced AVT to 20.5% (PCE: 2.0%) was achieved by optimizing electrode and hole transport layers.

Conclusions:

• RFMS is a viable technique for producing high-quality ultrathin Sb₂S₃ absorbers.
• Sb₂S₃-based semitransparent solar cells show potential for building-integrated photovoltaics.
• Further optimization of device architecture can improve both PCE and AVT.