Development of Chalcogenide Sb2Se3 Thin Film by Simple and Low-Cost Chemical Bath Deposition Technique for Optoelectronics Applications
Keywords:
Selenosulphate, reflux, solar cell, photodetector, amorphousAbstract
Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) thin films were synthesized for potential application in optoelectronic devices using a low-cost, facile chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The as-deposited films exhibit a characteristic brown coloration, indicative of phase formation. The selenium precursor, sodium selenosulfate (Na2SeSO3), was synthesized via a reflux process involving elemental selenium and sodium sulphite (NaSO3), ensuring a controlled release of Se²⁻ ions during deposition. The materials were characterized for structural, optical, morphological and compositional properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement revealed amorphous nature of the film’s material for as-synthesized films as well as films annealed at 100 ℃ and 150 ℃ in the absence of selenium environment. The optical property showed that the material has capacity for high absorption in the UV and visible regions of the solar spectrum, as indicated by low transmittance in these regions. The indirect bandgap was estimated to be 1.12 eV for as-deposited material, 1.01 eV for 100 ℃ annealed film and 0.90 eV for 150 ℃ annealed sample. RMS roughness decreases uniformly with increase in annealing temperature, as indicated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) measurement. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirmed the uniformity in the surface morphology of the material. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF) confirmed the presence of Sb and Se in the material. The high absorption in the visible and UV regions makes the material a good candidate for solar cell absorption layer and photodetectors.
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