Deposition of CdS and ZnS from aqueous solutions by a new photochemical technique

Photochemical deposition (PCD), a novel deposition technique of compound se miconductors from an aqueous solution, was developed. A substrate was held in an aqueous solution containing S2O32- and metal ions, and was irradiated with a mercury lamp. Then, a sulfide (CdS and ZnS) film was deposited in t he irradiated region of the substrate. The deposited CdS films have an oran ge-yellow color and an optical absorption edge near 500 nm. The composition is almost stoichiometric for a wide range of pH values of the solution (3. 5-8). ZnS was also deposited by PCD, but the composition is Zn-rich. Nearly stoichiometric -films were obtained after annealing at 500 degrees C. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.