Investigation on growth of In2S3 thin films by chemical bath deposition

Indium sulfide (In2S3) thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition using the mixed aqueous solutions of indium chloride, thioacetamide and citric acid, in which citric acid was used as the complexing agent. The films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), the surface roughness automatic tester and UV–visible transmission spectra, respectively. The XRD results indicate that the as-deposited films at pH 1 and 2 are composed of β-In2S3 phase, which crystallize in cubic structure. The SEM images show that the surface morphologies of In2S3 films change from nanospheres to network-like morphologies with increase in growth time. Film thicknesses linearly increase with time and reach to balance stability finally. The ion-by-ion growth mechanism is proposed.