Synthesis of luminescent zinc sulphide thin films by chemical bath deposition

Highlights: ► We prepare luminescent chemical bath deposition ZnS thin films. ► A special doping procedure was used. ► The luminescent properties depend on both annealing temperature and activator type. ► Clear changes in the morphology of the ZnS films are observed SEM. - Abstract: Luminescent zinc sulphide thin films were obtained by chemical-bath deposition, coupled with an indirect doping technique. The technique offers an original way for introducing the doping metal ions into the CBD grown thin films, using a ZnS-based doping mixture. The samples were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Luminescent, morpho-structural and compositional properties are strongly influenced by the annealing regime.