Abstract
Indium sulphide thin films have been successfully synthesized on a glass substrate using a chemical bath deposition method. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy techniques are used to examine the effect of the experimental conditions on the structure and morphology of the films. The structural analyses suggest the formation of indium sulphide in the early stage, followed in the late stage by the development of beta-In2S3 nanoparticles with different sizes in the range 16-30 nm and possessing a cubic structure. The surface of the substrate is covered by sphere-like grains in a tightly-adherent state with a relatively uniform thickness of about 100 nm and an average surface roughness of about 35 nm. The mechanism of the film formation apparently involves the Volmer-Weber growth mode. The level of the residual microstrain and dislocation network seems to be reduced respectively to the values 5.3 x 10(-3) and 1.1 x 10(11) lines mm(-2) for an optimum deposition time (t(D)) of about 45 min for which the crystallinity of the beta-In2S3 thin films is the best one. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.