Copper antimony chalcogenide thin film PV device development

Emerging ternary chalcogenide thin film solar cell technologies, such as CuSbS
₂
and CuSbSe
₂
, have recently attracted attention as simpler alternatives to quaternary Cu
₂
ZnSnS
₄
(CZTS). Despite suitable photovoltaic properties, the initial energy conversion efficiency of CuSbS
₂
is rather low (0.3%). Here, we report on our progress towards improving the efficiency of CuSbS
₂
solar cells using a high throughput approach. The combinatorial methodology quickly results in baseline solar cell prototypes with 0.6% efficiency, and then modification of the back contact architecture leads to 1% PV devices. We then translate the optimal CuSbS
₂
synthesis parameters to CuSbSe
₂
devices, which show 3% efficiencies.