Chemically deposited antimony selenide thin films

Chemical bath deposition of thin films of antimony selenide from aqueous solutions containing complexes of antimony with citrate, tartrate and thiosulfate as ligands and sodium selenosulfate as source of selenide is reported. The films obtained appear amorphous in the as prepared form and become crystalline upon annealing at 300degreesC. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns of the annealed films show peaks attributable to Sb2Se3 and Sb2O3. Electron microprobe analyses have shown that the atomic ratio of Se/Sb is less than 1.5 in these films. The films are photoconductive and exhibit a high resistivity in the dark. Both direct (1.4 eV) and indirect (1.3-1.5 eV) band gaps are observed for the films.