Structure and morphology of sprayed ZnS thin films

Zinc sulphide (ZnS) thin films have been prepared on Pyrex. substrates by the spray pyrolysis technique using zinc chloride and thiourea as precursors. The depositions were carried out on substrates heated at 450 degreesC. The films were then annealed under sulphur atmosphere for one hour at 450 or 500 degreesC. This process allows one to obtain well-crystallized cubic-type beta-ZnS thin films. The crystallites exhibit preferential orientation along the (111) direction. The undesirable ZnO phase does not appear in the X-ray diffraction spectra of the films. Microprobe analysis shows that a nearly stoichiometric composition is obtained using these annealing temperatures. Moreover only a surface contamination by oxygen of such films was found as determined from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. (C) 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.