Synthesis of ZnS Nano-Powders and Fabrication of ZnS Thin Films via Electron-Beam Evaporation: Structural and Optical Characterization

Nanoscale zinc sulfide (ZnS) powders have attracted considerable interest due to their unique properties and diverse applications in various fields, including wastewater treatment, optics, electronics, photocatalysis, and solar systems. In this study, nano-powder ZnS was chemically synthetized starting from Zn powder, diluted HCl, and laboratory-prepared Na2S. The obtained ZnS was studied using an SEM coupled with EDS, XRD analysis, UV–Visible spectroscopy, and FTIR techniques. The XRD results showed that the synthesized nanoscale ZnS powder was approximately 2.26 nm. Meanwhile, the EDS and XRD patterns confirmed the high purity of the obtained ZnS powder. In addition, the ZnS powder was compacted and sintered in an argon atmosphere at 400 °C for 8 h to prepare the required pellets for thin-film deposition via E-beam evaporation. The microscopic structure of the sintered pellets was investigated using the SEM/EDS. Furthermore, the optical properties of the deposited thin films were studied using UV–Visible spectroscopy in the wavelength range of 190–1100 nm and the FTIR technique. The bandgap energies of the deposited thin films with thicknesses of 111 nm and 40 nm were determined to be around 4.72 eV and 5.82 eV, respectively. This article offers a facile production route of high-purity ZnS powder, which can be compacted and sintered as a suitable source for thin-film deposition.