Growth of ultra thin PbS films by SILAR technique

Abstract The successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique involves growth of thin films from solution, ionic layer by ionic layer at room temperature and normal pressure. The aim of this work is to characterize SILAR grown PbS thin films (15–100 nm) on silicon substrates using different lead-precursor solutions. The X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy investigations have been performed to compare the properties of the films grown with different lead precursor solutions. The PbS ultra thin films were polycrystalline and cubic. The films were stoichiometric and contained some oxygen. The film roughness and crystallite size could be controlled by choosing the lead precursors.