Influence of Different Substrates on the Properties of Sulfurized SnS Films

SnS films were grown on a variety of substrates, such as Al, Si, Mo, Ni, ITO, and glass, maintaining a constant sulfurization temperature of 350 C and time of 150 min using elemental sulfur via a two-stage process. The influence of the various types of substrates on the growth and physical properties was examined by Xray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electrical measurements. The XRD profiles indicated that the as-prepared films were in a polycrystalline nature with different planes as the preferred orientations and exhibited an orthorhombic crystal structure. The Raman spectra revealed bands at 95 cm−1, 189 cm−1 and 219 cm−1; and 163 cm−1, which were assigned to the Ag and B2g phonon modes of SnS, respectively. The surface morphology revealed complete coverage of the grains with good compactness. Electrical studies yielded interesting results in that the SnS films grown on glass substrates showed a higher electrical resistivity of 45 -cm compared to the other substrates but all the films exhibited p-type conductivity.