Structural and optical properties of PbS thin films obtained by chemical deposition

Thin PbS films were chemically deposited on glass from alkaline baths containing lead nitrate, thiourea and different additions, such as hydroxylamine hydrochloride, triethanolamine or H 2O 2. The structural, optical and photoelectrical properties of these films were studied. The main characteristic of films as thick as 0.12–0.54 μm is the photosensitivity. This parameter is influenced by many factors such as film thickness, grain and crystallite size, faults probability, number of layers, thermal treatment and the presence of impurities. Optical properties of these films were studied comparatively with those of some Au and Ni layers. The VIS. transmission and NIR reflection are comparable with those of the metallic films. The PbS films as thick as 21–62 nm can be applied for solar control coatings.