Photoassisted Chemically Deposited Tin Sulfide Thin Films Based on Two Different Chemical Formulations

Abstract

Photoassisted chemical deposition is a customized form of chemical bath deposition where the reaction is carried out in the presence of ultraviolet light. Deposition of tin sulfide films was carried out by this method using two different chemical baths. The as-prepared samples from the acetone bath were crystalline, exhibiting the orthorhombic structure of the Sn₂S₃ phase, but those from the glacial acetic acid bath were amorphous. The crystallinity of the films was improved on annealing. The deposition rate was found to depend on the pH of the bath and the chemical formulation. Distinct morphology was obtained for as-grown films. The films from the acetone bath were compact with uniform morphology of needle-shaped grains having equal diameters and lengths. The films from the glacial acetic acid bath were similar, with smaller needles. The high absorption coefficients of as-grown and annealed films show their potential application as absorber layers in photovoltaic devices. The refractive index was estimated from the reflectance of the films. The estimated activation energies of the as-prepared films from the acetone and glacial acetic acid baths were 0.4 eV and 0.46 eV, whereas those of the annealed samples were 0.2 eV and 0.44 eV, respectively. The activation energy was found to decrease for annealed films due to a decrease in trap sites.