HEAT-PV: High Efficiency Antimony Selenide (Sb2Se3) based Photovoltaic Devices

The unrestricted supply of energy is one of the main concerns of our society.

Due to our continuously growing population and a modern lifestyle that has an insatiable need for energy, an unlimited energy resource is required.

Traditional energy generation methods, particularly fossil fuel combustion, have escalated environmental woes through the emission of harmful greenhouse gases, perpetuating pollution and global warming. Transitioning to renewable energy based economy is one of the solutions. One such alternative can come from the Sun.

The energy we receive from the Sun is huge; the energy delivered to Earth by the Sun in 1 hour is more than the total world energy consumption in 1-year. To tap this resource, photovoltaic (PV) device cells can be used to convert solar radiation directly into electricity. This research proposal aims to advance antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) PV technology.

As an abundant and non-toxic material, Sb2Se3 holds promise as an emerging PV absorber.

The initial phase involves synthesizing Sb2Se3 thin films using hybrid reactive magnetron sputtering, focusing on achieving preferentially (hk1)-oriented films by optimizing growth parameters. Further, a cadmium-free contact layer around Sb2Se3 will be developed for efficient charge carrier transport.

A significant aspect pertains to comprehending elemental diffusion's role across the Sb2Se3 absorber-contact layer interface, and how it influences PV device efficiency.

The ultimate objective is to establish a high-efficiency (≥15%) Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cell, thus advancing sustainable clean energy and contributing to climate change mitigation.