Influence of a polymeric solution buffer layer on the chemical bath deposition of polycrystalline PbS films

Abstract

Polycrystalline thin films of PbS grown on glass substrates previously coated with PbS colloidal particles in a polyvinyl alcohol solution were obtained by chemical bath deposition (CBD). The X-ray diffraction procedures showed evidence of polycrystalline films of cubic PbS with a preferred normal orientation of the planes [100] with the growth direction. The film texture showed a strong influence of the initial conditions of the surface. Moreover, changes in colour, morphology and grain size of the films were observed by optic and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) showed a dependence of the thickness and roughness of the PbS films with the growth initial conditions. A kinetic growth model is proposed to explain the changes in the structure and morphology of the PbS.