AFM and SEM studies of CdS thin films produced by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method

CdS films have been grown on a glass substrate by a spray pyrolysis method using CdCl2 (0.05 M) and H2NCSNH2 (0.05 Mi solutions at a substrate temperature of 310 degrees C. After the production of CdS thin films, one of the thin films was dissolved in the H2SO4 acid and the concentration of the Cd cations in the solution was tested by AAS. The band gap of CdS was obtained from the absorbance measurements in the visible range and found to be 2.47 eV. AFM and SEM results have shown that grain sizes of CdS thin films vary between 100 and 500 nm. Local elemental characterization on the surface of the thin film was carried out using EDS. Using the Proza correction method, the quantitative result of EDS has also shown that the ratio of Cd to S on the film is 49.17:50.83 (at%). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.