UV irradiated wet chemical deposition and characterization of nanostructured tin sulfide thin films
Tin sulfide (Sn2S3) films were synthesized both by chemical bath deposition method without (CBD) and with simultaneous irradiation of UV light (UV–CBD). The influence of UV illumination on the synthesis of Sn2S3 thin films were investigated through the structural, compositional, morphological, optical and electrical studies. CBD films were Sn2S3 having orthorhombic structure with some impurities while that of UV–CBD films exhibit excellent crystallinity of pure single phase Sn2S3 having the same structure. Morphology of CBD films was spherical grains of different sizes while that of UV–CBD films was uniformly distributed thin long nanoworms. Optical properties of the films were different and the optical band gap for CBD and UV–CBD films was 1.20 and 1.57 eV respectively. Refractive index of the films lies in 1.84–2.02 in the 700–1,500 nm wavelength range. Electrical resistivity of the CBD and UV–CBD films was 104 and 103 Ωcm for respectively. UV irradiation during the synthesis of tin sulfide films had highly enhanced the properties demanded by various optoelectronic applications. UV–CBD is a novel, simple and cost effective approach, having the potential to stimulate new research in the study of tin sulfide thin films and other metal chalcogenides.