Tuning the crystalline orientation of quasi 1D anisotropic Sb2Se3 as a function of growth temperature for thin film photovoltaic applications

Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) shows excellent photon absorption in the visible region and hence gaining tremendous attention from the last decade for thin film photovoltaics. Also, it has unique one -dimensional crystal structure and simple binary composition. However, the growth of Sb2Se3 thin films with its predominant orientation along [hk1] to make use of easy electrical charge transport seems challenging due to various governing growth parameters. In this work, we have studied the role of growth temperature (between 200 degrees C and 320 degrees C) in the crystalline orientation of Sb2Se3 thin films on glass substrates via close-space thermal evaporation. In addition to growth orientation, we have investigated the effect of growth temperature on the surface morphology, elemental composition, film thickness, and optical properties of Sb2Se3 thin films. Electrical properties and photoresponse were measured on [hkl] and [hk0] oriented films to understand the effect of anisotropy and it is inferred that [hk1] oriented film as a favorable one for the charge transport. Also, the photoresponse results showed fair photoconductance under white light illumination and zero applied bias.