An evaluation of the deposition parameters for indium sulfide (In2S3) thin films using the grey-based Taguchi method

This paper presents an optimal deposition-parameter design for Indium sulfide (In2S3) thin films, using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering for soda-lime glass substrates. The grey relational analysis (GRA), using the Taguchi method with an L-9 (34) orthogonal array, a signal-to-noise (SIN) ratio and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to optimize the multiple performance characteristics (deposition rate and optical transmittance). The effect of the optimization of the In2S3 films' deposition parameters (RF power, sputtering pressure, substrates temperature and deposition time) on the structure, morphology and optical transmittance are studied. The results of the confirmation experiments demonstrate that the deposition rate and optical transmittance of In2S3 films is improved by using a deposition process that is optimized using the grey-based Taguchi method. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.