Nanocrystalline zinc sulfide (ZnS) thin films are prepared on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method using aqueous solutions of zinc chloride, thiourea ammonium hydroxide along with non-toxic complexing agent tri-sodium citrate in alkaline medium at 80 °C. The deposition time and annealing effects on the optical and morphological properties are studied. The morphological, compositional, and optical properties of the films are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDAX) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. SEM micrographs exhibit uniform surface coverage. UV-Vis (300 nm to 800 nm) spectrophotometric measurements show transparency of the films (transmittance ranging from 69 % to 81 %), with a direct allowed energy band gap in the range of 3.87 eV to 4.03 eV. After thermal annealing at 500 °C for 120 min, the transmittance increases up to 87 %.
In developing countries like Kenya, solution processing technique is the cheapest and simplest technique to grow inorganic composites thin films. This method was used to grow thin films of Cd0.3Zn1.1xS0.7 on ordinary microscope Perspex substrate slides from aqueous solutions of Zinc chloride and cadmium chloride in ammonia solution. A solution of triethanalomine was used as a complexing agent while thiourea was used as source of sulphide ions. Electrical properties as a function of their thicknesses were obtained by varying deposition time while all other parameters were maintained constant. Using a resistance measurement device and a Gauss meter, resistivity and the conductivity of the films were found to be thickness dependent with semiconductor nature.