Relationship between Raman spectra and crystallinity of CdS films grown by cathodic electrodeposition

CdS films were cathodically electrodeposited from acidic solutions (pH=2.5) containing CdSO4 and Na2S2O3. Raman scattering of these films was measured using the 514.5 nm line of an Ar ion laser as the light source. The longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon peak of CdS was observed between 300-310 cm(-1). The full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the peak was a large value of 18.2 cm(-1) for as-deposited films, but decreased to 12.7 cm(-1) after the films were annealed at 500 degrees C. These results are consistent with those of other structural and optical characterizations, and thus the Raman spectroscopy was found to be useful for the characterization of the electrodeposited CdS films.