Structural and Optical Properties of Nanocrystalline Tin Sulfide Thin Films Deposited By Thermal Evaporation

A. Salem; A. S. Salwa; S. N. Alamri

Volume : IV, Issue : XI, November - 2014

Structural and Optical Properties of Nanocrystalline Tin Sulfide Thin Films Deposited By Thermal Evaporation

A. Salem, A. S. Salwa, S. N. Alamri

Abstract :

Thermal evaporation technique was used to faicate the nanocrystalline tin sulfide (SbS) thin films of thicknesses 200 nm and 377 nm on good quality glass substrate. The various physical properties of deposited thin films were investigated using X–ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ultraviolet–visible–near infrared spectroscopy at room temperature. X–ray diffraction analysis confirmed the orthorhombic phase of SnS films and the calculated lattice parameters were calculated. The grain size, dislocation density and micro strain were calculated using X–ray data. The result from AFM analysis show that the surface of films was compact, dense and smooth. The optical band gap and types of transitions involved in the absorption process was investigated. For allowed direct and indirect transition the band gap values varied in the range from 1.96 – 1.72 eV and 1.58 – 0.92 eV, respectively. The deduced values of the band gap suggest that the deposited thin films can be used in the faication of solar cell devices.