Fabrication of SnSe alloys and study of its structural, optical, and photoelectric properties for the prepared thin films

Thermal vapor deposition was utilized in this study to create 400 nm-thick SnSe alloy thin films. Thermal treatments were applied to the films at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 300°C. Their optical, optoelectronic, and structural characteristics were thoroughly examined. To evaluate the films’ quality and make sure they adhered to ASTM criteria, the structural features were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD). We also looked at other structural factors such as crystallite size, interplanar spacing, and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of diffraction peaks. The material’s energy band gap was estimated via optical analysis and was discovered to vary depending on the annealing conditions, ranging from 1.4 eV to 2.12 eV. The I–V characteristics under illumination showed that annealing at 300°C resulted in a significant increase in the short circuit current density (Jsc) due to improved light absorption, but caused a decrease in the open circuit voltage (Voc), indicating the need to optimize the annealing conditions to achieve an optimal balance between Jsc and Voc to enhance the overall conversion efficiency.