Band alignment of Sb2O3 and Sb2Se3

DOI: 10.1063/5.0055366

Authors: Huw Shiel (University of Liverpool) , Theodore D. C. Hobson (University of Liverpool) , Oliver S. Hutter (Northumbria University) , Laurie J. Phillips (University of Liverpool) , Matthew J. Smiles (University of Liverpool) , Leanne A. H. Jones (University of Liverpool) , Thomas J. Featherstone (University of Liverpool) , Jack E. N. Swallow (University of Oxford) , Pardeep K. Thakur (Diamond Light Source) , Tien-Lin Lee (Diamond Light Source) , Jonathan D. Major (University of Liverpool) , Ken Durose (University of Liverpool) , Tim D. Veal (University of Liverpool)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Journal Of Applied Physics , VOL 129

State: Published (Approved)
Published: June 2021
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 23160

Abstract: Antimony selenide (Sb2 2 Se3 3 ) possesses great potential in the field of photovoltaics (PV) due to its suitable properties for use as a solar absorber and good prospects for scalability. Previous studies have reported the growth of a native antimony oxide (Sb2 2 O3 3 ) layer at the surface of Sb2 2 Se3 3 thin films during deposition and exposure to air, which can affect the contact between Sb2 2 Se3 3 and subsequent layers. In this study, photoemission techniques were utilized on both Sb2 2 Se3 3 bulk crystals and thin films to investigate the band alignment between Sb2 2 Se3 3 and the Sb2 2 O3 3 layer. By subtracting the valence band spectrum of an in situ cleaved Sb2 2 Se3 3 bulk crystal from that of the atmospherically contaminated bulk crystal, a valence band offset (VBO) of −1.72 − 1.72  eV is measured between Sb2 2 Se3 3 and Sb2 2 O3 3 . This result is supported by a −1.90 − 1.90  eV VBO measured between Sb2 2 O3 3 and Sb2 2 Se3 3 thin films via the Kraut method. Both results indicate a straddling alignment that would oppose carrier extraction through the back contact of superstrate PV devices. This work yields greater insight into the band alignment of Sb2 2 O3 3 at the surface of Sb2 2 Se3 3 films, which is crucial for improving the performance of these PV devices.

Journal Keywords: Crystalline solids; Photovoltaics; Electronic band structure; Nanoribbons; Thin films; Photoemission; Polycrystalline material

Diamond Keywords: Photovoltaics

Subject Areas: Materials, Physics, Energy


Instruments: I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis

Added On: 22/06/2021 10:10

Documents:
5.0055366.pdf

Discipline Tags:

Surfaces Earth Sciences & Environment Sustainable Energy Systems Energy Physics Climate Change Energy Materials Materials Science interfaces and thin films

Technical Tags:

Spectroscopy X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HAXPES)