Low-Temperature Atomic Layer Deposition of CuSbS for Thin-Film Photovoltaics.

Copper antimony sulfide (CuSbS) has been gaining traction as an earth-abundant absorber for thin-film photovoltaics given its near ideal band gap for solar energy conversion (∼1.5 eV), large absorption coefficient (>10 cm), and elemental abundance. Through careful in situ analysis of the deposition conditions, a low-temperature route to CuSbS thin films via atomic layer deposition has been developed. After a short (15 min) postprocess anneal at 225 °C, the ALD-grown CuSbS films were crystalline with micron-sized grains, exhibited a band gap of 1.6 eV and an absorption coefficient >10 cm, as well as a hole concentration of 10 cm. Finally, the ALD-grown CuSbS films were paired with ALD-grown TiO to form a photovoltaic device. This photovoltaic device architecture represents one of a very limited number of Cd-free CuSbS PV device stacks reported to date, and it is the first to demonstrate an open-circuit voltage on par with CuSbS/CdS heterojunction PV devices. While far from optimized, this work demonstrates the potential for ALD-grown CuSbS thin films in environmentally benign photovoltaics.