IN-SITU INVESTIGATIONS ON THE SILAR-GROWTH OF ZNS FILMS AS STUDIED BYTAPPING MODE ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY

Tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TM-AFM) has been successfully us ed for in-situ imaging of the deposition of ZnS films with the success ive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The films were deposited in-situ using the commercial TM-AFM liquid cell as a flow-t hrough reactor. The potential of TM-AFM has been used to study the gro wth of ZnS on different substrates up to 50 SILAR cycles, Reactants an d rinsing water were alternately exchanged in the cell by a computer c ontrolled valve system. Tn comparison to earlier work performed with t he conventional AFM operated in contact mode, imaging artefacts introd uced by lateral shear forces can be largely eliminated with TM-AFM. On glass the roughness is observed to decrease initially until typical i sland formation takes place at a larger number of deposition cycles. O n mica island formation can be observed right from the beginning of th e process and the roughness increases with increasing number of deposi tion cycles.