Thermal, Electrical and Dielectric Characteristics of SnSbS Thin Films for Solar Cell Applications

Sn3Sb2S6 thin films were elaborated by a vacuum evaporation process, and then they were annealed at 150 degrees C in air for 1 (h). X-ray diffraction results reveal that only the annealed sulfosalt film exhibits a crystalline nature with [416] preferential orientation. The annealing process influences their surface morphology by affecting the size and shape of the Sn3Sb2S6 particles. Then, the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity were determined via the theoretical and experimental electro-pyroelectric voltage signals. In addition, we noticed that thermal conductivity and heat capacity values increased by increasing annealing temperature. The electrical and dielectric properties were obtained by impedance spectroscopy technique. At high temperatures, sigma(ac) conductivity follows the power law of Jonscher, and the sigma(dc) variation is the inverse of temperature according to the Arrhenius law. This result indicates that the conduction process is thermally activated, with an activation energy of about 0.813 eV. Finally, we studied some new physical properties of Sn3Sb2S6 thin films; and came to the conclusion that the annealed Sn3Sb2S6 thin film can be promising for solar cell applications.