Open Access

ARTICLE

Effect of carrier gas on copper antimony sulfide thin films by spray pyrolytic approach

Y. B. Kishore Kumar^a, S. Guru Prasad^b, A. S. Swapna Smitha^c, U. Chalapathi^d,*, G. Suresh Babu^c, Y. Jayasree^e, P. Uday Bhaskar^f, Si-Hyun Park^d

a Solar Energy Laboratory, Mohan Babu University (Erstwhile Sree Vidyanikethan Engineering College), Tirupati-517102, India
b Department of Physics, N.T.R. Government Degree College, Vayalpad-517299, India
c Department of Physics, Government Degree College, Puttur-517583, India
d Department of Electronic Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, 38541, South Korea
e Department of Physics, S.P.W. Degree and PG College, Tirupati-517502, India
f National Institute of Solar Energy, Gwal Pahari, Haryana and Mundra Solar Technology LTD (Adani Solar), Mundra, Gujarat-370435, India

Chalcogenide Letters 2024, 21(9), 719-727.

Received 27 June 2024; Accepted 12 September 2024;

Abstract

This study explores the ternary compound semiconductor as a potential absorber layer for third-generation solar cells. CuSbS₂, a promising candidate for thin film absorber layers, is fabricated using a simple spray pyrolysis method. The research specifically investigates the influence of two different carrier gases during the fabrication process. X-ray diffraction as well as Raman studies confirm that the films exhibit a chalcostibite structure. Notably, films fabricated with nitrogen as the carrier gas demonstrate enhanced crystallinity, accompanied by reduced microstrain and dislocation density. Furthermore, these films exhibit a significantly improved absorption coefficient, reaching 10⁵ cm^-1 . Optical studies indicate that the materials possess a direct band gap of 1.50 eV and exhibit p-type conductivity. CuSbS₂ thin film heterojunction solar cell exhibits a maximum efficiency of 0.49%.

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Keywords

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