Structural, optical, and electrical properties of tin sulfide thin films grown by spray pyrolysis

Tin sulfide (SnS) thin films have been prepared by spray pyrolysis (SP) technique using tin chloride and N, N-dimethylthiourea as precursor compounds. Thin films prepared at different temperatures have been characterized using several techniques. X-ray diffraction studies have shown that substrate temperature (T,) affects the crystalline structure of the deposited material as well as the optoelectronic properties. The calculated optical band gap (E-g) value for films deposited at T-s=320-396 degrees C was 1.70 eV (SnS). Additional phases of SnS2 at 455 degrees C and SnO2 at 488 degrees C were formed. The measured electrical resistivity value for SnS films was similar to 1 x 10(4) Omega-cm. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.