Preparation of indium hydroxy sulfide Inx(OH)ySz thin films by chemical bath deposition

Indium hydroxy sulfide thin films have been prepared by chemical bath deposition using indium(III) chloride, acetic acid, and thioacetamide. Deposition time, acetic acid, and thioacetamide concentrations have been varied in order to study the influence of these parameters on the chemical deposition process, thin-film composition, and optoelectronic and morphological properties. A decrease in the homogeneous reaction starting time occurs for increasing thioacetamide concentration, but an opposite response is observed as acetic acid concentration is increased. Increasing thioacetamide and acetic acid concentrations results in a decrease in the average optical transmission for both visible and infrared intervals. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis suggests the film is a nonstoichiometric In-chi(OH)(y)S-z compound. Bandgap values between 2 and 3.7 eV and resistivity values of 10(7) to 10(8) Ohm cm have been obtained. Atomic force microscopy images reveal that lower thioacetamide and higher acetic acid concentrations lead to a larger grain size in the deposits.