Characterization and Optical Properties of CdS thin films grown by Chemical Bath Deposition

CdS thin films were prepared on soda-lime glass (SLG) by the chemical bath deposition technique. An aqueous solution of cadmium salts, ammonium chloride, ammonium hydroxide and thiocarbamide were used in the deposition. The obtained CdS film samples were characterized by techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer. The films are of hexagonal phase with preferred (0 0 2) orientation and the grain size increases with the thickness of the films. The films show good transmittance in the visible region. The band gap of the films is 2.41-2.45 eV and decreases with the increasing the thickness of the films.