Structural, optical and electrical characterization of Cd0.5Zn0.5S thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis

In this work, Cd0.5Zn0.5S thin films were successfully deposited onto glass substrates by spray pyrolysis. Their structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties were investigated as a function of the S2- concentration. According to the x-rays diffraction (XRD), the deposition films have less polycristallinity with crystallites size varied between 16 and 32 nm as a function of S2- concentration. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the deposited films were non-uniform nanostructures. The UV–visible spectroscopy showed that the transparency of the films depend on the S2- concentration in the precursor solution. The band gap energy and the refractive index vary inversely as a function of the S2- concentration. The correlation between the increase of the intensity of the VS corresponding PL peak and the decrease of the electrical resistivity confirms the donor role of sulfur vacancies (VS). [Display omitted] •Cd0.5Zn0.5S thin films were successfully deposited by spray pyrolysis.•The deposition films have less polycristallinity.•The optical properties depend on the S2- concentration.•The electrical resistivity confirms the donor role of sulfur vacancies.