Effect of Annealing Time on Electrodeposited ZnS Thin Films

ZnS is a direct band gap semiconductor with a wide band gap (3.68-3.80 eV)¹. It is generally observed in two phases: cubic or zinc blende and hexagonal or Würtzite. The cubic phase is the most stable at low temperatures and low pressure¹. Due to its physical properties, high chemical stability to processing and photoelectric properties, ZnS is well suited for various applications such as catalysts, gas sensors and photovoltaic applications. Today, ZnS is one of the materials considered as an alternative for buffer layers in solar cells. Compared to CdS, ZnS is a non-toxic and an environment friendly material². In the present work, we will elaborate series of ZnS samples, using electrodeposition method to study the effect of the annealing time on their structural and optical properties.