Structural and optical properties of tin (II) sulfide thin films deposited using organophosphorus precursor (Ph3PS)

Tin sulfide (SnS) thin films have been deposited onto glass substrates using triphenylphosphine sulfide (Ph3PS) as a sulfur precursor in a chemical vapor deposition reactor in a temperature range of 250 °C–400 °C. The influence of the sulphidisation temperature in the crystal structure, surface morphology, chemical composition and optical properties has been investigated. X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive analysis of x-rays, and Raman spectroscopy showed that pure SnS thin films have been successfully obtained at 250 °C. All the deposited films were polycrystalline and showed orthorhombic structure, with a preferential orientation according to the direction 〈111〉. The optical measurements showed that the films deposited exhibited a direct allowed transition and have a relatively high absorption coefficient. The presence of mixed tin sulfide phases granted by the variation of the sulphidisation temperature has affected the optical properties of the deposited films. The refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k), has low values compared to conventional semiconductor materials. The grown films can be considered as a good light absorbing material and a promising candidate for application in optoelectronic devices.