Comparison of antimony selenide thin films obtained by electrochemical deposition and selenization of a metal precursor

In this work, we present a study comparing two methods of Sb2Se3 deposition, namely electrochemical deposition and selenization of a thin-film metallic Sb – precursor deposited by magnetron sputtering. The Sb selenization process was carried out in the range of temperatures from 270 °C to 350 °C in an argon atmosphere enriched with elemental Se vapor. Electrochemical deposition of Sb2Se3 was performed in a three-electrode cell at constant potential. Following electrochemical deposition, the samples were annealed in argon at temperatures ranging from 270 °C to 350 °C. Characterization of the obtained thin films was performed using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and optical transmission. Both deposition methods demonstrate successful emergence of the selenide phase, albeit with the presence of varying levels of antimony oxide. The possibility of preferential growth was observed, which is suggested as dependent on growth method and annealing temperature.