Chemical deposition and characterization of thorium-alloyed lead sulfide thin films

We present a chemical bath deposition process for alloying PbS thin films with 232Th, a stable isotope of thorium, to provide a model system for radiation damage studies. Variation of deposition parameters such as temperature, reagent concentrations and time allows controlling the properties of the resulting films. Small amounts of incorporated thorium (0.5%) strongly affected the surface topography and the orientation of the films and slowed down the growth rate. The Th appears to be incorporated as substitutional ions in the PbS lattice.