Solution-processed vanadium oxides as a hole-transport layer for Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cells

• Published in: Solar energy 2022-01, Vol.231, p.1-7
• Main Authors: Amin, Al, Guo, Liping, Vijayaraghavan, S.N., Li, Dian, Duan, Xiaomeng, Menon, Harigovind G., Wall, Jacob, Gupta, Subhadra, Ming-Cheng Cheng, Mark, Zheng, Yufeng, Li, Lin, Yan, Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorbers (materials); Antimony; Antimony compounds; Efficiency; Hole-transport layer; Open circuit voltage; Oxides; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaics; Sb2Se3; Selenide; Selenides; Solar cells; Solar energy; Sublimation; Thin films; Thin-film solar cells; Vanadium; Vanadium oxides; Voltage; VOx
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2021.11.009

•Low cost and stable solution-processed inorganic VOx hole transport layer for Sb2Se3 solar cells for the first time.•Close space sublimation deposition of a thickness of 500 nm Sb2Se3 absorber material.•Sb2Se3 with VOx hole transport layer achieve a power conversion efficiency ∼6.3%.•VOx could improve the open-circuit voltage of Sb2Se3 solar cells. Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) is a promising light absorber material for solar cells because of its superior photovoltaic properties. However, the current performance of the Sb2Se3 solar cell is much lower than its theoretical value (∼32%) due to its low open-circuit voltage (VOC). In this paper, we have demonstrated inorganic vanadium oxides (VOx) as a hole transport layer (HTL) for Sb2Se3 solar cells to enhance efficiency through the VOC improvement. Here, a solution-processed VOx through the decomposition of the triisopropoxyvanadium (V) oxide is deposited on the Sb2Se3 absorber layer prepared by close-spaced sublimation (CSS). With VOx HTL, the built-in voltage (Vbi) is significantly increased, leading to improved VOC for the Sb2Se3 solar cell devices. As a result, the efficiency of the device increases from an average efficiency of 5.5% to 6.3% with the VOx.