Optimization of PbS thin films using different metal ion sources for photovoltaic applications

An extensive study on the influence of metal ion sources on the properties of chemical bath deposited lead sulphide thin films is reported in this paper. Four different lead sources namely lead nitrate, lead acetate, lead chloride and lead sulphate in alkaline medium have been used for the synthesis along with thiourea as sulphur source. The influence of lead sources on structural, surface morphological optical and electrical properties is investigated for photovoltaic applications. According to X-ray diffraction studies, all the films are poly crystalline with face centered cubic structure. The average crystallite sizes are found to be in the range 13–24 nm. The SEM photographs showed diverse morphology. The optical band gap is found to be very sensitive to the metal sources used. The direct band gap energy values obtained are in the range of 1.862–2.609 eV. The electrical conductivity varies in the range 33.6 −7.62 × 10−9 (Ω cm)−1. Photosensitivity is closely linked to surface morphology. In this work, we established that the cationic precursor sources have significant role in physical properties of as-deposited PbS thin films. Samples prepared using nitrate as metal source are found to be most suitable to be used as solar control coating and the samples with lead acetate can be used as absorber layers for solar cell fabrication.