Synthesis and Characterization of In2S3 Thin Films Deposited by Chemical Bath Deposition on Polyethylene Naphthalate Substrates

Indium sulfide (In2S3) thin films were deposited on polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) by chemical bath deposition (CBD). The materials were characterized by ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) to investigate the influence of the polymeric substrate on the resulting thin In2S3. The films showed polycrystalline (cubic and tetragonal) structure. A reduction of the ordering of the polymeric chains at the surface of the PEN was also observed, demonstrated by the appearance of two infrared bands at 1094 cm(-1) and 1266 cm(-1). Presence of oxygen during the early stages of In2S3 growth was also identified. We propose a reaction mechanism for both the equilibrium and nucleation stages. These results demonstrate that In2S3 can be deposited at room temperature on a flexible substrate.