Structural, Compositional, Optical, and Electrical Properties of Solution‐Grown Zn x Cd1 − x S Films

Thin films of zinc cadmium sulfide (Zn x Cd 1- x S) have been prepared in the entire range from ZnS to CdS by using a chemical solution growth technique. Structural, compositional, optical, and electrical properties of thin films of Zn x Cd 1 -x S have been studied as a function of x. X-ray studies show that as-grown films are composed of a hexagonal phase in the range 0 ≤ x < 0.5 and a cubic sphalerite phase for x ≥ 0.5. Film optical parameters (n, k, α, E g ) were evaluated and correlated with the composition ratio, x. These studies show that Zn x Cd 1-x S films of different compositions have two direct transitions with corresponding energy gaps E g and E g + ΔS 0 .The variations in E g and E g + ΔS 0 with x indicate that Zn x Cd 1-x S is an amalgamation type following quadratic equations with bowing parameters 0.3 and 0.5, respectively. The resistivity of solution-grown Zn x Cd 1-x S films was found to increase with increasing x. The effect of boron doping on electrical properties was also investigated.