Nanocrystalline CdS thin films prepared by sol-gel spin coating

Abstract

Nanocrystalline CdS thin films have been prepared using cadmium nitrate and thiourea as precursors using the solgel spin coating method. The structural studies carried out on the prepared films using X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the CdS films exhibit hexagonal structure and the grain size was observed to be 10 and 14 nm for the films annealed at 250°C and 450°C. The surface topography of the films was studied using atomic force microscopy and the roughness was found to be 32 nm. The optical absorbance studies showed a strong blue shift due to the quantum confinement effect present in the CdS films. The grain size calculated using the band gap energy and quantum confinement effect was found to be in agreement with the results obtained from structural studies.