Structural and Physical Properties of the PbS Films Obtained by Chemical Bath Deposition at Different Deposition Temperature

Abstract

In the present study, structural and physical properties of the PbS thin films produced using chemical bath deposition method were investigated. Deposition temperature was varied between 25 °C and 50 °C throughout the deposition period. The pH value of electrolyte solution and the deposition time of the films were 10.5 and 25 min, respectively. Characterizations of the PbS thin films were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. XRD results showed that all PbS thin films had a cubic structure irrespective of deposition temperature. Morphological characterizations of the films indicated that not only the number but also the size of pinholes, formed on the film surfaces, were significantly affected by the deposition temperature. Consequently, the film obtained at 25 ̊C exhibited a surface morphology with less and smaller pinholes, compared to others deposited at higher deposition temperatures.