Chemical composition, structural, morphological, optical and luminescence properties of chemical bath deposited Fe:ZnS thin films

Iron doped zinc sulfide (Fe:ZnS) thin films are synthesized by chemical bath deposition (CBD). Fe dopant concentrations are 0, 6, 12 and 18 at.-%. Chemical study is monitored by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy to determine the exact composition. According to the XRF analysis, we found stoichiometric composition for the undoped film. Nevertheless, the doped ones are zinc rich and sulfur poor. The deposited films are stabilized in their cubic structure. The crystalline quality of the elaborated layers is enhanced after Fe incorporation and the best crystallinity is obtained for the films doped 6 at.-% Fe. The morphological study reveals many modifications such as the appearance of nanowires for the sample doped 18 at.-% Fe. Optical performance is improved and the highest transmittance values are obtained for the sample doped 6 at.-% Fe. Photoluminescence (PL) intensity shows very sensitive feature with the rise of iron concentration. •Fe doped ZnS thin films are elaborated by chemical bath deposition method.•XPS analysis proves the formation of ZnS compound and the iron inclusion in the deposited layers.•Surface morphology shows significant changes with the rise of Fe concentration.•Fe doped ZnS thin films reveal transparency feature in both visible and infrared regions.•Photoluminescence intensity shows decrement behavior with the improvement of the crystalline quality of the films.