Ten Years of Sb₂Se₃ Thin Film Solar Cells

Antimony selenide (Sb₂Se₃) has emerged as a promising absorber material for photovoltaic application. Since the first pure-phase Sb₂Se₃ solar cell reported ten years ago, increasing research has been carried out on this system with the device efficiency now reaching 9.2%. This work aims to present the major milestones of Sb₂Se₃ thin film solar cells from its birth to the present, including the selection of Sb₂Se₃ for thin film photovoltaics, the choice of planar device configuration instead of sensitized device, switching from solution processing to vacuum processing, new concept of orientation control and benign grain boundaries, discovery of unusual and complex defects, and post selenization for defect passivation. In the end, the authors discuss the competitive applications of Sb₂Se₃ solar cells in flexible devices and outlook their future development.