Efficient Sb2Se3 solar cell with a higher fill factor: A theoretical approach based on thickness and temperature

Abstract Antimony selenide, Sb2Se3, is a viable candidate for future generation solar cells because it is made from non-toxic, earth-abundant, and low-cost materials. Solar cells based on Sb2Se3 material have got worldwide attention because of their excellent power conversion efficiency. The simulation was carried out using the numerical simulation software SCAPS-1D (solar cell and capacitance simulator). The impact of temperature and thickness of absorber and buffer layer on the electrical properties of Sb2Se3 solar cells in terms of I-V, C-V measurements are reported. The simulated efficiency for Sb2Se3 with a back-contact metal work function of 5.1 eV at 200 K was observed to be 27.84%. As the temperature and thickness of the absorber layer rise from 200 to 350 K and 0.8–3.2 µm, respectively, the efficiency falls from 27.84% to 12.74%. The highest efficiency for Sb2Se3 solar cells is obtained with a radiative recombination coefficient value lower than 10−8 cm3/s. This work can help to improve the performance of Sb2Se3 based solar cells.