Effect of phosphotungstic acid on the properties of pulse deposited ZnSe films

ZnSe films were pulse electrodeposited on conducting glass substrates with and without the addition of phosphotungstic acid. X-ray diffraction studies indicated the formation of single-phase cubic ZnSe. The films possessed low dislocation density. Addition of phosphotungstic acid resulted in films with nanocrystallites. The band gap of the films were found to increase for the films deposited with phosphotungstic acid due to the quantum size effects. Thickness of the films was higher for the films deposited with phosphotungstic acid compared to those deposited without acid. The films had a crystallite size of the order of 15 nm and a surface roughness of 1.8 nm. The films were found to possess a slight excess of Se as evident from the EDAX measurements.